| First Author | Ozsvár A | Year | 2024 |
| Journal | Front Cell Neurosci | Volume | 18 |
| Pages | 1254460 | PubMed ID | 38362542 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:345881 | Mgi Id | MGI:7594485 |
| Doi | 10.3389/fncel.2024.1254460 | Citation | Ozsvar A, et al. (2024) A combinatory genetic strategy for targeting neurogliaform neurons in the mouse basolateral amygdala. Front Cell Neurosci 18:1254460 |
| abstractText | The mouse basolateral amygdala (BLA) contains various GABAergic interneuron subpopulations, which have distinctive roles in the neuronal microcircuit controlling numerous behavioral functions. In mice, roughly 15% of the BLA GABAergic interneurons express neuropeptide Y (NPY), a reasonably characteristic marker for neurogliaform cells (NGFCs) in cortical-like brain structures. However, genetically labeled putative NPY-expressing interneurons in the BLA yield a mixture of interneuron subtypes besides NGFCs. Thus, selective molecular markers are lacking for genetically accessing NGFCs in the BLA. Here, we validated the NGFC-specific labeling with a molecular marker, neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (NDNF), in the mouse BLA, as such specificity has been demonstrated in the neocortex and hippocampus. We characterized genetically defined NDNF-expressing (NDNF+) GABAergic interneurons in the mouse BLA by combining the Ndnf-IRES2-dgCre-D transgenic mouse line with viral labeling, immunohistochemical staining, and in vitro electrophysiology. We found that BLA NDNF+ GABAergic cells mainly expressed NGFC neurochemical markers NPY and reelin (Reln) and exhibited small round soma and dense axonal arborization. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings indicated that most NDNF+ interneurons showed late spiking and moderate firing adaptation. Moreover, approximately 81% of BLA NDNF+ cells generated retroaxonal action potential after current injections or optogenetic stimulations, frequently developing into persistent barrage firing. Optogenetic activation of the BLA NDNF+ cell population yielded both GABA(A)- and GABA(B) receptor-mediated currents onto BLA pyramidal neurons (PNs). We demonstrate a combinatory strategy combining the NDNF-cre mouse line with viral transfection to specifically target adult mouse BLA NGFCs and further explore their functional and behavioral roles. |
