Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
08:51
Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice
Published on: May 10, 2019
11.7K
Sst- and Vip-Cre mouse lines without age-related hearing loss
Calvin T Foss1, Timothy Olsen1, James Bigelow1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Coleman Memorial Laboratory for Auditory Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 29, 2024
Summary
Researchers created new mouse models for studying brain circuits. These normal-hearing mice allow investigation of somatostatin (SST) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons without age-related hearing loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Auditory Research
Background:
- GABAergic interneurons, including somatostatin (SST) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) positive cells, are vital for cortical circuit function.
- Existing Sst-Cre and Vip-Cre mouse lines are on the C57BL/6 background, which has age-related hearing loss (AHL) due to Cdh23 gene mutation, hindering auditory research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop normal-hearing Sst-Cre and Vip-Cre mouse lines on a CBA background for auditory research.
- To enable the study of SST and VIP interneuron roles without confounding effects of hearing impairment.
Main Methods:
- Backcrossed Sst-Cre and Vip-Cre mice to CBA mice.
- Confirmed Cre-dependent gene expression in CBA Cre lines using Ai14 reporter mice.
- Assessed hearing capabilities via auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) in CBA Cre and C57BL/6 mice.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated Sst-Cre and Vip-Cre mice on a normal-hearing CBA background.
- CBA Cre mice exhibited significantly lower ABR thresholds compared to C57 controls at multiple ages (3, 6, 9, 12 months).
- Validated appropriate Cre-driven gene expression in the new CBA Cre lines.
Conclusions:
- Developed valuable Sst-Cre and Vip-Cre mouse models on the CBA background.
- These models overcome the limitations of C57BL/6 mice for auditory research involving specific interneuron populations.
- Facilitates future investigations into the precise roles of SST and VIP interneurons in the auditory system and beyond.
