Viral approaches to study the mammalian brain: Lineage tracing, circuit dissection and therapeutic applications

Wei Cong; Yun Shi; Yanqing Qi; Jinyun Wu; Ling Gong; Miao He

doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108629

Viral approaches to study the mammalian brain: Lineage tracing, circuit dissection and therapeutic applications

J Neurosci Methods. 2020 Apr 1:335:108629. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108629. Epub 2020 Feb 8.

Authors

Wei Cong¹, Yun Shi¹, Yanqing Qi¹, Jinyun Wu¹, Ling Gong¹, Miao He²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: hem@fudan.edu.cn.

PMID: 32045571
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108629

Abstract

Viral vectors are widely used to study the development, function and pathology of neural circuits in the mammalian brain. Their flexible payloads with customizable choices of tool genes allow versatile applications ranging from lineage tracing, circuit mapping and functional interrogation, to translational and therapeutic applications. Different applications have distinct technological requirements, therefore, often utilize different types of virus. This review introduces the most commonly used viruses for these applications and some recent advances in improving the resolution and throughput of lineage tracing, the efficacy and selectivity of circuit tracing and the specificity of cell type targeting.

Keywords: Cell type; Circuit mapping; Gene delivery; Gene therapy; Lineage tracing; Virus.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Brain*
Dissection
Genetic Vectors*
Mammals