Enhancer viruses for combinatorial cell-subclass-specific labeling

Abstract

Rapid cell type identification by new genomic single-cell analysis methods has not been met with efficient experimental access to these cell types. To facilitate access to specific neural populations in mouse cortex, we collected chromatin accessibility data from individual cells and identified enhancers specific for cell subclasses and types. When cloned into recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and delivered to the brain, these enhancers drive transgene expression in specific cortical cell subclasses. We extensively characterized several enhancer AAVs to show that they label different projection neuron subclasses as well as a homologous neuron subclass in human cortical slices. We also show how coupling enhancer viruses expressing recombinases to a newly generated transgenic mouse, Ai213, enables strong labeling of three different neuronal classes/subclasses in the brain of a single transgenic animal. This approach combines unprecedented flexibility with specificity for investigation of cell types in the mouse brain and beyond.