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Freeze-frame imaging of synaptic activity using SynTagMA
Alberto Perez-Alvarez1, Brenna C Fearey1, Ryan J O'Toole2
1Institute for Synaptic Physiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, D-20251, Germany.
Nature Communications
|May 20, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed SynTagMA, a novel tool to tag active synapses in the brain. This genetically encoded marker allows researchers to visualize and map active neural connections, overcoming previous technical challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Neural information transmission occurs across billions of synapses.
- Identifying active synapses in brain tissue presents significant technical hurdles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce SynTagMA, a genetically encoded marker for tagging active synapses within a defined time window.
- To enable the discrimination between active and silent neuronal elements.
Main Methods:
- SynTagMA utilizes a calcium-dependent green-to-red fluorescence conversion upon specific light illumination.
- The marker can be targeted to presynaptic terminals (preSynTagMA) or excitatory postsynapses (postSynTagMA).
- Automated methods were developed to analyze large datasets of individual synapse fluorescence.
Main Results:
- preSynTagMA successfully distinguishes active axons from silent ones.
- postSynTagMA captures a snapshot of active synapses immediately preceding photoconversion.
- Automated analysis allows for tracking thousands of individual synapses.
Conclusions:
- SynTagMA provides an efficient method for mapping active neurons and synapses.
- The tools are applicable across various preparations, including cell culture, slice preparations, and in vivo studies.
- This technology facilitates repeated mapping of neural activity during behavior.
