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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Subtype-selective Electroporation of Cortical Interneurons
Published on: August 18, 2014
Single genomic enhancers drive experience-dependent GABAergic plasticity to maintain sensory processing in the adult
Ori Roethler1, Eran Zohar1, Katayun Cohen-Kashi Malina1
1Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Abstract:
Experience-dependent plasticity of synapses modulates information processing in neural circuits and is essential for cognitive functions. The genome, via non-coding enhancers, was proposed to control information processing and circuit plasticity by regulating experience-induced transcription of genes that modulate specific sets of synapses. To test this idea, we analyze here the cellular and circuit functions of the genomic mechanisms that control the experience-induced transcription of Igf1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) in vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons (INs) in the visual cortex of adult mice. We find that two sensory-induced enhancers selectively and cooperatively drive the activity-induced transcription of Igf1 to thereby promote GABAergic inputs onto VIP INs and to homeostatically control the ratio between excitation and inhibition (E/I ratio)-in turn, this restricts neural activity in VIP INs and principal excitatory neurons and maintains spatial frequency tuning. Thus, enhancer-mediated activity-induced transcription maintains sensory processing in the adult cortex via homeostatic modulation of E/I ratio.
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