Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons

Summary: CRISPR-Cas9 technology enables acute gene knockdown and endogenous tagging to study single-synapse function. Here, we present a protocol for depleting alpha-synuclein (α-syn) or visualizing native α-syn with an endogenously inserted fluorescent tag in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. We...

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Main Authors: Leonardo A. Parra-Rivas, Rohan Sharma, Trinity E. Rust, Hannah O. Bazick, Jared Carlson-Stevermer, Mark J. Zylka, Yuki Ogawa, Subhojit Roy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:STAR Protocols
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266616672500351X
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author Leonardo A. Parra-Rivas
Rohan Sharma
Trinity E. Rust
Hannah O. Bazick
Jared Carlson-Stevermer
Mark J. Zylka
Yuki Ogawa
Subhojit Roy
author_facet Leonardo A. Parra-Rivas
Rohan Sharma
Trinity E. Rust
Hannah O. Bazick
Jared Carlson-Stevermer
Mark J. Zylka
Yuki Ogawa
Subhojit Roy
author_sort Leonardo A. Parra-Rivas
collection DOAJ
description Summary: CRISPR-Cas9 technology enables acute gene knockdown and endogenous tagging to study single-synapse function. Here, we present a protocol for depleting alpha-synuclein (α-syn) or visualizing native α-syn with an endogenously inserted fluorescent tag in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. We describe detailed steps, including CRISPR design, virus packaging/transduction (delivery), and validation of on-/off-target editing. This protocol should be useful for assigning precise function to contentious synaptic proteins and for visualizing protein trafficking without overexpression in cultured hippocampal neurons—an established model system for synaptic biology.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Parra-Rivas et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.
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spelling doaj-art-7e72691c5ecf449f8d158aec754b58922025-08-20T03:08:24ZengElsevierSTAR Protocols2666-16672025-09-016310394510.1016/j.xpro.2025.103945Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neuronsLeonardo A. Parra-Rivas0Rohan Sharma1Trinity E. Rust2Hannah O. Bazick3Jared Carlson-Stevermer4Mark J. Zylka5Yuki Ogawa6Subhojit Roy7Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USADepartment of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, USADepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USAUNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USASerotiny Inc., 329 Oyster Point Boulevard, 3rd Floor, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USADepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USADepartment of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USADepartment of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: CRISPR-Cas9 technology enables acute gene knockdown and endogenous tagging to study single-synapse function. Here, we present a protocol for depleting alpha-synuclein (α-syn) or visualizing native α-syn with an endogenously inserted fluorescent tag in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. We describe detailed steps, including CRISPR design, virus packaging/transduction (delivery), and validation of on-/off-target editing. This protocol should be useful for assigning precise function to contentious synaptic proteins and for visualizing protein trafficking without overexpression in cultured hippocampal neurons—an established model system for synaptic biology.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Parra-Rivas et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266616672500351XCell BiologyCell cultureMicroscopyMolecular BiologyCRISPRNeuroscience
spellingShingle Leonardo A. Parra-Rivas
Rohan Sharma
Trinity E. Rust
Hannah O. Bazick
Jared Carlson-Stevermer
Mark J. Zylka
Yuki Ogawa
Subhojit Roy
Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
STAR Protocols
Cell Biology
Cell culture
Microscopy
Molecular Biology
CRISPR
Neuroscience
title Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
title_full Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
title_fullStr Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
title_full_unstemmed Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
title_short Protocol for CRISPR-based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α-synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
title_sort protocol for crispr based manipulation and visualization of endogenous α synuclein in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
topic Cell Biology
Cell culture
Microscopy
Molecular Biology
CRISPR
Neuroscience
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266616672500351X
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