Patent ID: 9359449
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: A01K,A61K,A61N,A61P,C07K,C12N

Claim Text:
1. A method of identifying transsynaptic connection between neuronal cells in an animal or a tissue, comprising: a) administering a first viral vector encoding a Cre recombinase fused to a transcellular tracer protein to neuronal cells in region A of the animal or tissue, wherein the transcellular tracer protein is wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) or tetanus toxin-fragment C (TTC), wherein the first viral vector is selected from the group consisting of an adenoassociated virus vector, a herpes simplex virus vector, and a lentiviral vector; b) administering a second viral vector encoding a light-activated protein to neuronal cells in region B of the animal or tissue, wherein the expression of the light-activated protein depends on the presence of the Cre recombinase, wherein the light-activated protein comprises an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, or SEQ ID NO:4, wherein the second viral vector is selected from the group consisting of an adenoassociated virus vector, a herpes simplex virus vector, and a lentiviral vector; and c) identifying neuronal cells expressing the light-activated protein in region B, wherein the expression of the light-activated protein in the neuronal cells indicates that these cells are in transsynaptic connection with the cells in region A.