A new era for functional labeling of neurons: activity-dependent promoters have come of age

Takashi Kawashima, Hiroyuki Okuno, Haruhiko Bito

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Genetic labeling of neurons with a specific response feature is an emerging technology for precise dissection of brain circuits that are functionally heterogeneous at the single-cell level. While immediate early gene mapping has been widely used for decades to identify brain regions which are activated by external stimuli, recent characterization of the promoter and enhancer elements responsible for neuronal activity-dependent transcription have opened new avenues for live imaging of active neurons. Indeed, these advancements provided the basis for a growing repertoire of novel experiments to address the role of active neuronal networks in cognitive behaviors. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the usage and development of activity-dependent promoters and discuss the future directions of this expanding new field.

Original languageEnglish
Article number37
Number of pages9
JournalFrontiers in Neural Circuits
Volume8
Issue numberAPR
DOIs
StatePublished - 23 Apr 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Sensory Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience (miscellaneous)

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