WGA-Alexa Conjugates for Axonal Tracing.

Curr Protoc Neurosci

Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

Published: April 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • Anatomical labeling techniques are crucial for understanding how the brain is organized, with tract tracing being key for studying neuronal pathways.
  • One major challenge in these studies is achieving good visibility to differentiate between closely neighboring neuronal pathways.
  • This text highlights the use of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) conjugated to Alexa fluorophores for high-resolution tracing in the mouse cerebellum, which helps in mapping motor function circuits and marking specific brain regions.

Article Abstract

Anatomical labeling approaches are essential for understanding brain organization. Among these approaches are various methods of performing tract tracing. However, a major hurdle to overcome when marking neurons in vivo is visibility. Poor visibility makes it challenging to image a desired neuronal pathway so that it can be easily differentiated from a closely neighboring pathway. As a result, it becomes impossible to analyze individual projections or their connections. The tracer that is chosen for a given purpose has a major influence on the quality of the tracing. Here, we describe the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) tracer conjugated to Alexa fluorophores for reliable high-resolution tracing of central nervous system projections. Using the mouse cerebellum as a model system, we implement WGA-Alexa tracing for marking and mapping neural circuits that control motor function. We also show its utility for marking localized regions of the cerebellum after performing single-unit extracellular recordings in vivo. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5830103PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cpns.28DOI Listing

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