Vesicular stomatitis virus enables gene transfer and transsynaptic tracing in a wide range of organisms.

ABSTRACT: Current limitations in technology have prevented an extensive analysis of the connections among neurons, particularly within nonmammalian organisms. We developed a transsynaptic viral tracer originally for use in mice, and then tested its utility in a broader range of organisms. By engineering the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to encode a fluorophore and either the rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G) or its own glycoprotein (VSV-G), we created viruses that can transsynaptically label neuronal circuits in either the retrograde or anterograde direction, respectively. The vectors were investigated for their utility as polysynaptic tracers of chicken and zebrafish visual pathways. They showed patterns of connectivity consistent with previously characterized visual system connections, and rev

SUBMITTER: Mundell NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4458151 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature