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Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Subtype-selective Electroporation of Cortical Interneurons
Published on: August 18, 2014
Sncg, Mybpc1, and Parm1 Classify subpopulations of VIP-expressing interneurons in layers 2/3 of the somatosensory
Shao-Na Jiang1, Jun-Wei Cao1, Lin-Yun Liu1
1Jing'an District Central Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Dong'an Rold 131, Shanghai 200032, China.
Abstract:
Neocortical vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons display highly diverse morpho-electrophysiological and molecular properties. To begin to understand the function of VIP+ interneurons in cortical circuits, they must be clearly and comprehensively classified into distinct subpopulations based on specific molecular markers. Here, we utilized patch-clamp RT-PCR (Patch-PCR) to simultaneously obtain the morpho-electric properties and mRNA profiles of 155 VIP+ interneurons in layers 2 and 3 (L2/3) of the mouse somatosensory cortex. Using an unsupervised clustering method, we identified 3 electrophysiological types (E-types) and 2 morphological types (M-types) of VIP+ interneurons. Joint clustering based on the combined electrophysiological and morphological features resulted in 3 morpho-electric types (ME-types). More importantly, we found these 3 ME-types expressed distinct marker genes: ~94% of Sncg+ cells were ME-type 1, 100% of Mybpc1+ cells were ME-type 2, and ~78% of Parm1+ were ME-type 3. By clarifying the properties of subpopulations of cortical L2/3 VIP+ interneurons, this study establishes a basis for future investigations aiming to elucidate their physiological roles.
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