| First Author | Sundberg SC | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Neurosci Lett | Volume | 675 |
| Pages | 36-40 | PubMed ID | 29580883 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:261650 | Mgi Id | MGI:6155905 |
| Doi | 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.03.053 | Citation | Sundberg SC, et al. (2018) Cre-expressing neurons in the cortical white matter of Ntsr1-Cre GN220 mice. Neurosci Lett 675:36-40 |
| abstractText | Genetically modified mouse strains that express Cre-recombinase in specific neuronal sub-populations have become widely used tools for investigating neuronal function. The Ntsr1-Cre GN220 mouse expresses this enzyme in corticothalamic neurons in layer 6 of cerebral cortex. We observed that about 7% of Cre-expressing cells in the primary visual cortex are found within the white matter bordering layer 6. By using the immunohistochemical marker for layer 6 neurons, Forkhead box protein 2 (FoxP2), and fluorescently conjugated latex beads injected into the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, we show that about half of these cells are similar to and could belong to the layer 6 corticothalamic neuron population. The other half seems to be a distinct white matter (WM) neuron sub-population that we estimate to constitute 2-4% of the total cortical Cre-expressing population. Staining for the neuronal marker Neuronal nuclei (NeuN) revealed that about 15-40% of WM neurons are Cre-expressing. Thus, the potential contribution from WM neurons needs to be considered when interpreting the results from experiments using the Ntsr1-Cre GN220 mouse for investigating corticothalamic neuronal function. |
