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Retrograde neuronal tracing with a deletion-mutant rabies virus.

ABSTRACT: We have constructed a deletion-mutant rabies virus encoding EGFP and find it to be an excellent tool for studying detailed morphology and physiology of neurons projecting to injection sites within the mammalian brain. The virus cannot spread beyond initially infected cells yet, unlike other viral vectors, replicates its core within them. The cells therefore fluoresce intensely, revealing fine dendritic and axonal structure with no background from partially or faintly labeled cells.

SUBMITTER: Wickersham IR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2755236 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Retrograde neuronal tracing with a deletion-mutant rabies virus.

Wickersham Ian R IR Finke Stefan S Conzelmann Karl-Klaus KK Callaway Edward M EM

Nature methods 20061210 1

We have constructed a deletion-mutant rabies virus encoding EGFP and find it to be an excellent tool for studying detailed morphology and physiology of neurons projecting to injection sites within the mammalian brain. The virus cannot spread beyond initially infected cells yet, unlike other viral vectors, replicates its core within them. The cells therefore fluoresce intensely, revealing fine dendritic and axonal structure with no background from partially or faintly labeled cells. ...[more]

PMID: 17179932

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