Synapsin-GFP AAV (serotype 1) is an advanced viral vector widely used in neuroscience research due to its ability to deliver genetic material specifically to neuronal cells. The vector capsid is derived from adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1), while the inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) are derived from serotype 2 (AAV2). The Synapsin promoter is neuron-specific, ensuring that GFP expression occurs primarily in neuronal cells. This specificity is critical for researchers aiming to study neuronal behavior, function, and morphology without nonspecific expression in glial or other non-neuronal cells.
The GFP reporter gene provides a clear and efficient way to visualize and track expression patterns within the brain, as GFP fluoresces under specific wavelengths of light. This property is particularly beneficial for live imaging studies, allowing researchers to observe the dynamics of neuronal networks in real time. The use of eGFP with the Synapsin promoter in AAV vectors has become a staple in neuroscience for mapping neuronal pathways, tracking changes in neuronal populations, and even monitoring synaptic activity over time.
mTOR signaling involves the mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes, which critically regulate neurodevelopment and are implicated in various brain disorders. Here, researchers demonstrate direct, controlled inhibition of mTOR by Tanc2, an adaptor/scaffold protein with strong neurodevelopmental and psychiatric effects. While Tanc2-null mice exhibit embryonic lethality, Tanc2-haploinsufficient mice survive but exhibit hyperactivity of mTORC1/2 with concomitant synaptic and behavioral defects that are reversed by mTOR inhibition with rapamycin. Tanc2 interacts with and inhibits mTOR, which is inhibited by mTOR-activating serum or the rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine. Tanc2 and Deptor, also known to inhibit mTORC1/2, have minimal effects on neurodevelopment but clearly inhibit mTOR in both early and late neurons. Finally, Tanc2 inhibits mTORC1/2 in human neural progenitor cells and neurons. These results suggest that Tanc2 is a mTORC1/2 inhibitor that affects neural development.
Because the mTOR hyperactivity observed in Tanc2+/− pups (P14) could represent indirect changes resulting from the long-term absence of Tanc2, researchers generated a Tanc2 mutant mouse line carrying a floxed Tanc2 allele (Tanc2fl/fl) to create a conditional gene knockout (cKO). Local homozygous knockout of Tanc2 in the hippocampus of Tanc2fl/fl mice by injection of AAV1-Synapsin-Cre-eGFP and AAV1-Synapsin-eGFP (control) at P5 and analysis at P14, but not the injection at P19 and analysis at P28, induced hyper-phosphorylation of S6 (S235/236), 4E-BP (T37/46), Akt (S473), GSK3β (S9), and mTOR (S2248) (Figure 1e–h), indicative of mTORC1 and mTORC2 hyperactivity. These results indicate that Tanc2 deletion leads to mTORC1/2 hyperactivity at the pup (P7-14) stage, but not at the juvenile (P21-28) or adult (~P52) stages.
Figure 1. e, f Cre-dependent acute hippocampal Tanc2 deletion during P5–14 resulted in increased phosphorylation of S6 (S235/236), 4E-BP (T37/46), Akt (S473), GSK3β (S9), and mTOR (S2448), indicating hyperactivity of mTORC1 and mTORC2. AAV1-Synapsin-Cre-eGFP and AAV1-Synapsin-eGFP (control) were injected in parallel into the hippocampus (CA3 region) of Tanc2fl/fl mice bilaterally (eGFP expression is indicated in green). g, h Cre-dependent acute hippocampal (CA3 region) Tanc2 deletion during P19–28 does not increase phosphorylation of S6 (S235/236), 4E-BP (T37/46), Akt (S473), GSK3β (S9), or mTOR (S2448), indicating the absence of mTORC1 and mTORC2 hyperactivity. (Kim S G, et al., 2021)
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highly recommended!
I’ve used Synapsin-GFP AAV (Serotype 1) for my research on neural pathways, and I’m thoroughly impressed with the clarity and precision of neural imaging it provides.
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