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Main Menu - Block
- Overview
- Anatomy and Histology
- Cryo-Electron Microscopy
- Electron Microscopy
- Flow Cytometry
- Gene Targeting and Transgenics
- Immortalized Cell Line Culture
- Integrative Imaging
- Invertebrate Shared Resource
- Janelia Experimental Technology
- Mass Spectrometry
- Media Prep
- Molecular Genomics
- Primary & iPS Cell Culture
- Project Pipeline Support
- Project Technical Resources
- Quantitative Genomics
- Scientific Computing Software
- Scientific Computing Systems
- Viral Tools
- Vivarium
Note: Research in this publication was not performed at Janelia.
Abstract
Methods for the selective and reproducible expression of genetically encoded tools in targeted subsets of cells are required to facilitate studies of neuronal development, connectivity, and function in living animals. In the absence of techniques for synthesizing promoters that target defined cell groups, current methods exploit the regulatory elements of endogenous genes to achieve specificity of transgene expression. However, single promoters often have expression patterns too broad to pinpoint the functional roles of specific neurons. In this review, we describe emerging combinatorial techniques that make transgene expression contingent not upon a single promoter, but upon two or more promoters. Although only a few such techniques are currently available, recent developments promise rapid growth in this area in the coming years.