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Viral Tracing of Genetically Defined Neural Circuitry
Published on: October 17, 2012
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Rabies virus glycoprotein variants display different patterns in rabies monosynaptic tracing
Takuma Mori1, Kinjiro Morimoto2
1Department of Informative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Aichi, Japan.
Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
|January 16, 2014
Summary
Rabies virus glycoprotein variants impact neuronal circuit tracing. Different variants trace distinct neuronal connections and affect cell health, offering new insights into rabies monosynaptic tracing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
Background:
- Rabies virus (RV) is a key tool for tracing neuronal circuits.
- Glycoprotein-deficient rabies virus (RV-ΔG) enables monosynaptic tracing but can be cytotoxic.
- Rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) variants influence RV's biological characteristics, including spread and toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an improved protocol for producing a highly attenuated RV-ΔG strain.
- To assess the impact of RVG variants on rabies monosynaptic tracing.
- To evaluate the effect of RVG variants on the health of infected neurons.
Main Methods:
- Development of an improved protocol for producing an attenuated RV-ΔG.
- Utilized various RVG variants for rabies monosynaptic tracing experiments.
- Assessed neuronal tracing patterns and cytotoxicity of RV-ΔG strains.
Main Results:
- Rabies monosynaptic tracing using different RVG variants identified distinct subsets of presynaptic partners.
- The attenuated strain's RVG also labeled astrocytes.
- Cytotoxicity was attributed to RV-ΔG itself, not the specific RVG variants.
Conclusions:
- RVG variants are critical determinants of rabies monosynaptic tracing specificity.
- The choice of RVG variant influences the traced neuronal circuits.
- RV-ΔG cytotoxicity is independent of RVG variants.
