Caspase

Overview

Caspase virus injections are used to selectively induce programmed cell death in targeted neuronal populations. These viral vectors typically express under a Cre-dependent promoter, allowing for cell-type–specific ablation.

How It Works

• The virus delivers a pro-apoptotic caspase gene to the target region.
• In cells expressing Cre recombinase, the caspase becomes active and triggers apoptosis.
• This leads to precise removal of specific neurons without affecting surrounding tissue.

Common Uses

• To study the function of a defined neural population by selective cell ablation.
• To model neurodegeneration or loss-of-function effects.

Considerations

• Verify Cre expression pattern before injection.
• Include control injections (e.g, AAV-GFP) to distinguish effects of cell loss from viral delivery.