Distributions of parvalbumin, calbindin-D28k and calretinin in the cerebrum of Chinese tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) - a high-resolution neuroanatomical resource

The Chinese tree shrew has emerged as a promising model organism, bridging the gap between rodents and primates in biomedical research. However, the neuroanatomy of this species remains incompletely described, limiting its application in neurophysiological and neuropathological studies. Here, we employed immunofluorescence microscopy to comprehensively map the distribution of parvalbumin, calbindin D-28k, and calretinin across tree shrew cerebrum. We examined their expression pattern in consecutive brain sections in sagittal, coronal and horizontal planes, generating a dataset of cellular-resolution images from 3,638 brain sections. This dataset, accessible via Science Data Bank (link to be determined), provides detailed regional and laminar-selective distribution of calcium-binding proteins valuable for the cyto- and chemoarchitectural characterization of the tree shrew cerebrum. This resource will not only advance our understanding of brain organization and facilitate basic and translational neuroscience research in tree shrews but also enhance comparative and evolutionary analyses across species.