AAV2 was the first serotype to be engineered as a recombinant vector for gene delivery. rAAVs derived from all 12 natural serotypes have been generated, which exhibit different properties. Compared to AAV2, most serotypes can transduce larger central nervous system (CNS) areas and show higher transgene expression levels when injected intraparenchymally, such as AAV5, AAV7, AAV8 and especially AAV9, which shows the highest vector distribution throughout the CNS. In addition, the vast majority of rAAV serotypes transduce neurons almost exclusively. In contrast, AAV4 preferentially targets ependymal cells, while AAV1 and AAV5 can efficiently transduce neurons and glial cells.
An important pathway that may facilitate vector spread within the CNS is axonal transport, following a retrograde and/or anterograde direction. In this way, viral vectors are transported across synaptic junctions, ultimately transducing spatially distinct neuronal subpopulations. For example, AAV9 undergoes both anterograde and retrograde transport, which may contribute to its widespread distribution throughout the CNS. The researchers evaluated CNS transduction after intravenous injection in both neonatal and adult mice. Based on the results obtained in neonatal animals, the different serotypes can be ranked in the following order according to their performance: 1) AAV9, which showed the highest CNS transduction efficiency; 2) AAV 1, 6, 7, 8, which showed intermediate transduction levels; and 3) AAV2 and 5, where only a small number of transduced cells were observed. With this mode of administration, the AAV serotypes were able to transduce both neurons and astrocytes.
Animals can learn to repeat behaviors in order to obtain desired rewards, a process often called reinforcement learning. Although previous studies have implicated ascending dopaminergic projections to the basal ganglia in reinforcement learning, little is known about the role of the hippocampus. Here, it was shown that specific populations of hippocampal neurons and their dopaminergic innervation contribute to operant self-stimulation. These neurons are located in the dentate gyrus, receive dopaminergic projections from the locus coeruleus, and express D1 dopamine receptors. Activating D1+ dentate neurons is sufficient for self-stimulation: mice press a lever to obtain optogenetic activation of these neurons. Similar effects were observed with selective activation of locus coeruleus projections to the dentate gyrus and blockade by D1 receptor antagonists. Calcium imaging of D1+ dentate neurons revealed significant activity during action selection but not during passive reward delivery. These results reveal a role for hippocampal dopaminergic innervation in supporting operant reinforcement.
Researchers implanted a gradient index lens above the DG of D1-Cre mice (N = 5) and injected the mice with a Cre-dependent calcium indicator (AAV9-syn-FLEX-jGCamp7f) (Figure 1A- B). Then, calcium transients in DG D1+ neurons during lever pressing to obtain food reward were recorded on a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule (FR1, FR3, and FR5) (Figure 1A-C). Study identifies distinct populations of DG D1+ neurons modulated by lever pressing. To see if the neural activity is action-contingent, a control task that did not require pressing was also used. Rewards were delivered non-contingently every 20 seconds, preceded by a second of white noise. In this task, compared to the operant task, far fewer DG D1+ neurons (N = 6, 3% of the total population) were significantly modulated (Figure 1F).
Figure 1. D1+ dentate gyrus neurons are significantly modulated by lever pressing during operant conditioning. (Petter E A, et al., 2022)
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