Dlg4 (discs, large homolog 4 (Drosophila); also called PSD95) is a postsynaptic protein that plays a pivotal role in synaptic function and plasticity.
PSD-95-CreNABLED mice, derived from a cross of
PSD-95-ENABLED mice (see Stock No. 026092) and germline HPRT-Cre mice (see Stock No. 004302), express functional mVenus-labeled DLG4 synaptic protein.
Strong mVenus fluorescence can be detected throughout many brain regions, including hippocampus, neocortex, striatum and thalamus. Relatively little fluorescence is observed in the cerebellum, consistent with the current knowledge that cerebellar Purkinje neurons do not express DLG4. At higher magnification under a two-photon microscope, dense green fluorescent puncta are found throughout the neuropil of the neocortex, striatum and hippocampus.
Expression levels are not reduced and synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation are unaltered. The resultant protein functionally replaces that of the wildtype. Label is present in most dendritic spines and exhibits minimal baseline trafficking. This strain enables the visualization and unambiguous examination of shaft excitatory synapses, such as those in aspiny interneurons, in vivo.
