The Allen Institute for Brain Science is excited to share new release with the neuroscience community: Genetic Tools Atlas (GTA). This searchable catalog features enhancer-adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) that can provide access to specific cell types when delivered to the whole brain.
Some were specifically developed to target cell types in the Basal Ganglia. This evolutionarily conserved circuit is composed of several interconnected brain structures, which are critical for motor and reward functions. Dysfunction of this circuit is known to be central to numerous brain disorders including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. The work was made possible with funding support from NIMH grant UF1MH128339 and collaborators at Addgene and the University of Washington.
The initial GTA release features 291 experiments and their 109 Serial Two-Photon Tomography, 162 Epifluorescence, and 20 scRNA-seq datasets. The image datasets visually illustrate the experiments’ AAV expression across the whole mouse brain. Their targeting prowess is further illustrated by specificity % scores based on Smart-Seq V4 transcriptomic datasets. Particularly notable viruses are designated as “Hall of Fame“ by Allen scientists.
Genetic Tools Atlas is an addition to a growing Brain Knowledge Platform and opens up endless possibilities for groundbreaking discoveries and breakthroughs in neuroscience. It enables neuroscientists to identify genetic tools to precisely target brain areas & identify the distribution of relevant cell types for their research. They are available via distribution partners like addgene.org.
We’re planning to release additional experiments and image data in regular intervals. We value your feedback. Please let us know what you think and what you’d like to see in future updates!
Learn more on portal.brain-map.org
Read the tutorial: Finding AAVs for targeting Cholinergic cell populations in the Striatum
Genetic Tools Atlas
Epifluorescence image viewing in Neuroglancer
Serial Two-Photon Tomography (STPT) image viewing in Neuroglancer
