Sensory coding mechanisms revealed by optical tagging of physiologically defined neuronal types
Donghoon Lee1, Maiko Kume1, Timothy E Holy2
1Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 14, 2019
Summary
Identifying molecular markers for specific cell types in neural circuits is challenging. A new technique, physiological optical tagging sequencing (PhOTseq), tags cells by function, enabling efficient identification of rare cell types and their molecular markers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Neural circuit analysis requires precise identification of cell types using molecular markers.
- Identifying markers for functionally defined, rare cell types is a significant challenge in neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel technique for tagging and profiling cells based on their physiological function.
- To overcome the limitations of laborious marker identification for functionally defined cell types.
Main Methods:
- Physiological optical tagging sequencing (PhOTseq) was developed to select and enrich cells based on functional properties.
- PhOTseq was applied to pheromone-sensing neurons in mice to map receptor-ligand interactions.
- In vivo ectopic expression of vomeronasal chemoreceptors was utilized in conjunction with PhOTseq.
Main Results:
- PhOTseq successfully selected rare cell types, achieving nearly 100-fold enrichment.
- The technique enabled the mapping of receptor-ligand pairings within specific neuronal populations.
- The complete combinatorial receptor code for a set of ligands was identified.
Conclusions:
- PhOTseq is an effective method for identifying molecular markers of functionally defined cell types.
- This technique significantly advances the ability to analyze complex neural circuits and receptor-ligand interactions.
- The study successfully elucidated the receptor code for pheromone sensing in mice.
