Enhancer AAVs for targeting spinal motor neurons and descending motor pathways in rodents and macaque.

ABSTRACT: Experimental access to cell types within the mammalian spinal cord is severely limited by the availability of genetic tools. To enable access to lower motor neurons (LMNs) and LMN subtypes, which function to integrate information from the brain and control movement through direct innervation of effector muscles, we generated single cell multiome datasets from mouse and macaque spinal cords and discovered putative enhancers for each neuronal population. We cloned these enhancers into adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs) driving a reporter fluorophore and functionally screened them in mouse. The most promising candidate enhancers were then extensively characterized using imaging and molecular techniques and further tested in rat and macaque to show conservation of LMN labeling. Additionally

SUBMITTER: Kussick E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11312589 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature