Meso-Seq for in-depth transcriptomics in ultra-low amounts of FACS-purified neuronal nuclei

Profiling of gene expression in sparse populations of genetically defined neurons is essential for dissecting the molecular mechanisms that control the development and plasticity of neural circuits. However, current transcriptomic approaches are ill suited for detailed mechanistic studies in sparse neuronal populations, as they either are technically complex and relatively expensive (e.g., single-cell RNA sequencing [RNA-seq]) or require large amounts of input material (e.g., traditional bulk RNA-seq). Overall design: Visual cortex mRNA profiles of adult mice' nuclear RNA, including (1) RNA-Seq of neurons sparsely labeled with AAV-constructs, (2) RNA-Seq from low amounts of antibody-labeled neuronal nuclei in the cortex of mice and of non-human primates, and (3), analyses of experience-regulated gene programs in sparse visual cortex neurons.