Nature Neuroscience 9, 443 - 452 (2006)
Published online: 19 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/nn1654
FACS-array profiling of striatal projection neuron subtypes in juvenile and adult mouse brainsMary Kay Lobo1, 2, Stanislav L Karsten1, 2, 3, Michelle Gray1, 2, Daniel H Geschwind1, 2, 3
& X William Yang1, 21
Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 695 Charles Young Drive South, Gonda 3506B, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. 2
Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 695 Charles Young Drive South, Gonda 3506B, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. 3
Progam in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 695 Charles Young Drive South, Gonda 3506B, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Correspondence should be addressed to X William Yang xwyang@mednet.ucla.edu A major challenge in systems neuroscience is to perform precise molecular genetic analyses of a single neuronal population in the context of the complex mammalian brain. Existing technologies for profiling cell type–specific gene expression are largely limited to immature or morphologically identifiable neurons. In this study, we developed a simple method using fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) to purify genetically labeled neurons from juvenile and adult mouse brains for gene expression profiling. We identify and verify a new set of differentially expressed genes in the striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons, two functionally and clinically important projection neuron subtypes in the basal ganglia. We further demonstrate that Ebf1 is a lineage-specific transcription factor essential to the differentiation of striatonigral neurons. Our study provides a general approach for profiling cell type–specific gene expression in the mature mammalian brain and identifies a set of genes critical to the function and dysfunction of the striatal projection neuron circuit.
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