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Monitoring Notch Activity in the Mouse

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Book cover Notch Signaling

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1187))

Abstract

Several laboratories have developed genetic methods to monitor Notch activity in developing and adult mice. These approaches have been useful in identifying Notch signaling with high temporal and spatial resolution. This research has contributed substantially to our understanding of the role of Notch in cell specification and cellular physiology. Here, we present two protocols to monitor Notch activity in the mouse brain: (1) by intraventricular electroporation and (2) by intracranial viral injections of Notch reporter constructs. These methods allow monitoring of Notch signaling in specific brain regions from development to adulthood. In addition, using the appropriate modifications, the Notch reporter systems can also be used to monitor Notch activity in other organs of the mouse such as retina, skin, skeletal muscle, and cancer cells.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Nicholas Gaiano and Kenichi Mizutani for allowing us to reprint one of their results and for helping with the intraventricular electroporation technique. We would also like to thank Mauro Giacca and Lorena Zentilin for packaging the AAVs. This work is supported by the Swiss National Foundation, the Synapsis Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research, and Swiss Heart Association.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Anatomy, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Rue A-Gockel 1, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Swananda Marathe & Lavinia Alberi

Authors
  1. Swananda Marathe
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  2. Lavinia Alberi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lavinia Alberi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept.of Molecular and Human Genetics, Program in Developmental Biology, Dept. of Neuroscience, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

    Hugo J. Bellen

  2. Dept. of Molecular and Human Genetics, Program in Developmental Biology, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

    Shinya Yamamoto

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Marathe, S., Alberi, L. (2014). Monitoring Notch Activity in the Mouse. In: Bellen, H., Yamamoto, S. (eds) Notch Signaling. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1187. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1139-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1139-4_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1138-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1139-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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