Journal: Cell reports
Article Title: The dorsal column nuclei scale mechanical sensitivity in naive and neuropathic pain states
doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115556
Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) The gracile nucleus (Gr, green) receives sensory inputs from lower body DRG afferents (cyan) and spinal projections (magenta). Retrograde virus injections into the VPL (right) labeled Gr VPL-projecting neurons (PNs). (B) Injection of cholera toxin β subunit (CTb, cyan) into the hindpaw glabrous skin labeled hindlimb afferents targeting the Gr (white dashed circle). Scale bar, 200 μm. (C) Advillin Cre ;Rosa26 LSL-Synaptophysin-GFP mice labeled synaptic terminals of primary afferents (cyan) in the Gr core (solid white line) and shell (dashed white line). Scale bar, 100 μm. (D) Cdx2 Cre ;Lbx1 FlpO ;Rosa26 LSL-FSF-Synaptophysin-GFP mice labeled terminals of spinal projections (magenta) in the Gr core (solid white line) and shell (dashed white line). Scale bar, 100 μm. (E) In situ hybridization of excitatory (vGluT2, blue) and inhibitory (vGAT, red; GlyT2, green) neurons in the Gr core (solid white line) and shell (dashed white line). Scale bar, 100 μm. (F and G) Quantification of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal markers in the Gr core (F) and shell (G). (H) Strategy to label VPL-PNs (green) or inhibitory neurons (red). Inset: representative injection of AAV-retro GFP into the VPL. Scale bar, 1,000 μm. (I and J) Representative images of Gr VPL-PNs (I) (green), inhibitory neurons (J) (red), and NeuN + immunostaining of neurons (blue). Scale bar, 100 μm. (K and L) Quantification of VPL-PNs and inhibitory neurons in the Gr core (K) and shell (L) normalized to total NeuN.
Article Snippet: Mouse: Cdx2 Cre , Jackson Laboratories , Jax#009350.
Techniques: Virus, Labeling, Injection, In Situ Hybridization, Immunostaining