Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: Genetic Identification of Dopamine Neurons Required for Circadian Food Anticipatory Activity in Mice
doi: 10.64898/2026.03.27.714759
Figure Lengend Snippet: A) Confocal imaging of immunofluorescence antibody staining of Th (magenta) and DAT (green) in the midbrain of Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO midbrain tissue. B) Quantification of TH staining in the SN of WT (grey) and Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO (gold) midbrain tissue. C) Normalized body weight of WT and Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO mice over the course of the study; weight was normalized by dividing the weekly weight by the Day 0 weight, which was taken prior to beginning CR. The weight fraction was similar between the two groups at every time point. D) Normalized food intake of WT and Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO mice. Food intake was normalized by dividing average 24-hour AL intake by the animal’s body weight. E) Total daily high activity in seconds of WT (grey) and Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO (gold) mice throughout the course of the study. F) High activity in seconds during the 3-hour premeal window throughout the course of the study. G) Normalized high activity during the 3-hour premeal window; data is normalized by dividing the seconds of high activity in the premeal window by the total daily high activity. H-K) Group-averaged double-plotted ethograms for WT and Calb1 Cre ;Th Flox cKO mice over a 40-day period for wheel running activity (H), pellet intake (I), rewarded left nose pokes (J), and unrewarded right nose pokes are shown. Area within brown borders indicates periods of food availability, and dark phase is indicated by gray background. L-M) Group average profiles for wheel running activity, rewarded left nose pokes, and unrewarded right nose pokes during 48 h food deprivation. Blue vertical lines indicate onset and offset of food availability during previously restricted feeding schedule. Light-dark cycle indicated as black and white at the bottom of each graph.
Article Snippet: Calb1 Cre -driver mice were obtained from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME; stock #028532); this allele contains an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES).
Techniques: Imaging, Immunofluorescence, Staining, Activity Assay