A minor upgrade of UVicSpace will happen on Tuesday, February 17, and the system will be offline for a short while.
 

Calabindin and channelrhodopsin-2 expression in the dopaminergic SNC and VTA of DAT-CRE

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWaller, Olivia
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-09T18:23:38Z
dc.date.available2026-02-09T18:23:38Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractThe DAT-Cre::ChR2-EYFP mouse model has recently emerged as a useful tool to investigate the function of the dopaminergic (DA) system, which is known to be involved in motor behaviour, motivation and reward, memory, and cognition. This is accomplished through selective expression of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a blue light-activated cation channel, in DA neurons. DA neurons that express calbindin (Calb), a calcium-binding protein, make up a discrete subpopulation with unique functional characteristics. Functional and physiological heterogeneity between the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been well documented, and past research conducted by the Nashmi lab has observed physiological heterogeneity between DA neurons along the mediolateral axis of the SNc itself. Therefore, there may be potential for Calb to act as a marker for distinct physiological cell phenotypes. Here, we evaluate the DAT-Cre::ChR2-EYFP model’s efficiency in expressing ChR2 within DA neurons and characterize the colocalization of Calb in DA neurons within the VTA and along the mediolateral axis of the SNc. We used confocal fluorescence microscopy of DAT-Cre::ChR2-EYFP brains and quantified tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), ChR2, and Calb expression within regions of interest. No significant difference in Calb colocalization in DA neurons was found between the medial and lateral SNc, although a large difference was observed between the SNc and VTA. We also report a that the DAT-Cre::ChR2-EYFP mouse model is extremely efficient in expressing ChR2 in DA neurons of the midbrain.
dc.description.reviewstatusUnreviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelUndergraduate
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/23309
dc.language.isoen
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Biology
dc.titleCalabindin and channelrhodopsin-2 expression in the dopaminergic SNC and VTA of DAT-CRE
dc.typeHonours thesis

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Waller_Olivia_Honours_2023.pdf
Size:
2.42 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Honours Theses/Papers
 
University of Victoria Libraries

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.