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| Cell stains create a 'brainbow' | Cell stains create a 'brainbow' |
| (about 23 hours later) | |
| Scientists have used the latest cell-staining techniques to create a colourful "brainbow" of the tissues of the brain. | |
| The Harvard University team used a combination of multiple fluorescent proteins to colour brain cells (neurons) up to 90 distinct colours. | The Harvard University team used a combination of multiple fluorescent proteins to colour brain cells (neurons) up to 90 distinct colours. |
| Until now, fluorescent labelling has been able to produce just a handful of shades, the Nature report says. | |
| The new method could aid research into the circuitry of the nervous system. | The new method could aid research into the circuitry of the nervous system. |
| We have already used brainbow to take a first peek at the nervous system of mice, and we've observed some very interesting, and previously unrecognized, patterns of neuron arrangement Professor Joshua SanesHarvard University | |
| It is hoped it will enable scientists to gain a greater understanding of how brain wiring goes awry in many different diseases. | It is hoped it will enable scientists to gain a greater understanding of how brain wiring goes awry in many different diseases. |
| It could also potentially help track the development of the nervous system, and give new insight into the origins of brain disorders. | It could also potentially help track the development of the nervous system, and give new insight into the origins of brain disorders. |
| Researcher Dr Jeff Lichtman said: "In the same way that a television monitor mixes red, green, and blue to depict a wide array of colours, the combination of three or more fluorescent proteins in neurons can generate many different hues. | Researcher Dr Jeff Lichtman said: "In the same way that a television monitor mixes red, green, and blue to depict a wide array of colours, the combination of three or more fluorescent proteins in neurons can generate many different hues. |
| "There are few tools neuroscientists can use to tease out the wiring diagram of the nervous system. | "There are few tools neuroscientists can use to tease out the wiring diagram of the nervous system. |
| "Brainbow should help us much better map out the brain and nervous system's complex tangle of neurons." | "Brainbow should help us much better map out the brain and nervous system's complex tangle of neurons." |
| Gene mix-up | Gene mix-up |
| The brainbow technology uses a system for mixing up genetic material known as Cre/lox in a new way to shuffle genes encoding green, yellow, orange, and red fluorescent proteins. | |
| Each time the system was used it produced a different pattern of genes, which then produced a wide range of colours when the material was inserted into individual neurons. | Each time the system was used it produced a different pattern of genes, which then produced a wide range of colours when the material was inserted into individual neurons. |
| Dr Jean Livet, who also worked on the study, said: "The technique drives the cell to switch on fluorescent protein genes in neurons more or less at random. | Dr Jean Livet, who also worked on the study, said: "The technique drives the cell to switch on fluorescent protein genes in neurons more or less at random. |
| "You can think of brainbow almost like a slot machine in its generation of random outcomes, and Cre/lox is the hand pulling the lever over and over again." | |
| The researchers used brainbow to examine neural circuits in mice over a period as long as 50 days. | |
| 'Scratching the surface' | 'Scratching the surface' |
| Professor Joshua Sanes, another member of the research team, said: "We have already used brainbow to take a first peek at the nervous system of mice, and we've observed some very interesting, and previously unrecognized, patterns of neuron arrangement." | |
| But he added: "As far as understanding what we're seeing, we've only just scratched the surface." | But he added: "As far as understanding what we're seeing, we've only just scratched the surface." |
| Professor Ian Thompson, from the Medical Research Council's Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, said the new method gave a much clearer way of identifying not only individual neurons, but also the connections they make with other nerve cells. | Professor Ian Thompson, from the Medical Research Council's Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, said the new method gave a much clearer way of identifying not only individual neurons, but also the connections they make with other nerve cells. |
| Potentially this could be of great help in monitoring the recovery of the brain from a stroke, for instance. | Potentially this could be of great help in monitoring the recovery of the brain from a stroke, for instance. |
| He said: "Most of the circuitry of the nervous system has been worked out by looking at one or two cells at a time, and building up from there. | He said: "Most of the circuitry of the nervous system has been worked out by looking at one or two cells at a time, and building up from there. |
| "This gives us the possibility of looking at whole populations of cells at the same time." | "This gives us the possibility of looking at whole populations of cells at the same time." |