FLUORESCENT PROTEIN TRACING

Retrograde axonal tracing with fluorescent markers.

The growth of fluorescence imaging technology and the development of sensitive fluorescent retrograde tracers has provided many new approaches for analyzing neuronal circuits. Fluorescent markers provide unparalleled opportunity for combining axonal tract tracing with techniques such as immunohistochemistry or physiological recording. This unit describes the use of six different fluorescent tra...

Genetically Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Stably Expressing Green Fluorescent Protein

Objective(s) Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are nonhematopoietic stromal cells that are capable of differentiating into and contribute to the regeneration of mesenchymal tissues. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are ideal targets in cell transplantation and tissue engineering. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) has been an important reporter gene for gene therapy. The aim of this stu...

Neural projections in planarian brain revealed by fluorescent dye tracing.

The planarian brain has an inverted-U shaped structure with functional regionalization. To investigate how each region in the brain connects to each other, we traced neural projections by microinjection of fluorescence dye tracers. We found that external light and olfactory/taste signals received in the head region are conveyed in the main lobes (sponge region) of the brain. Chemosensory neuron...

The green fluorescent protein.

In just three years, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria has vaulted from obscurity to become one of the most widely studied and exploited proteins in biochemistry and cell biology. Its amazing ability to generate a highly visible, efficiently emitting internal fluorophore is both intrinsically fascinating and tremendously valuable. High-resolution crystal s...

Fluorescent protein spectra.