# Best transgenic fluoroscent protein for visualizing axons in DRG neurons in culture
**URL:** https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813
**Category:** Experimental Techniques
**Created:** [March 5, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813 "2021-03-05T04:22:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@achamess](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/achamess)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/1 "2021-03-05T04:22:10Z")
What fluorescent protein is best for bright, well-defined axonal labeling in culture?
tdTomato is OK, but it’s cytoplasmic and I notice its much brighter in the soma.
My goal is to look at axon degeneration in live cultures (no immunostaining).
ChR2-EYFP from the Ai32 mice looks really nice because it’s membrane-localized. But I don’t want to use ChR2 as the fluor.
What is a good, membrane localized fluor is readily available and looks bright in DRG neurons? Any paper references, especially for axon degeneration stuff, would be great.
@adgaudet @tberta @smithtp
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### Author:  [@dmolliver](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/dmolliver)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/2 "2021-03-11T15:39:48Z")
I have used ArchT-GFP CRE-reporter mice from Jax, which works well because it is inserted into the membrane. Are you transfecting or looking for transgenic lines? You just have to make sure you have a promoter that isn’t downregulated during degeneration, which can be a challenge. Maybe ATF3-CRE? Myristoylated GFP should also work well if you don’t want to put channels in there. There are plenty of membrane-targeted AAV constructs available these days, as well as some reporter mice available from Jax for that if you want to avoid using viral vectors.
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### Author:  [@achamess](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/achamess)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/3 "2021-03-11T16:41:45Z")
@dmolliver Thanks so much! Ai32 (ChR2) similarly looks great but I wanted to avoid activating ChR2 while imaging. ArchT-GFP is a good idea then.
Is this what you’re using?
> **[021188 - B6.Cg-Gt(ROSA)26Sor/J](https://www.jax.org/strain/021188)**
I’d prefer a transgenic mouse over virus, but could do either. I may go the ArchT route. Great idea.
Do you have any thoughts on tauGFP? This looks like a myrGFP mouse and I’ve seen it used.
> **[021162 - B6;129P2-Mapt/J](https://www.jax.org/strain/021162)**
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### Author:  [@dmolliver](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/dmolliver)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/4 "2021-03-11T21:33:39Z")
Yes, that’s the one I’m using. I haven’t used the Mapt mice but I have seen some beautiful images from them during development. I would think that would work well as long as you don’t need to distinguish between sensory and sympathetic neurons in vivo.
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### Author:  [@achamess](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/achamess)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/5 "2021-03-12T01:51:36Z")
TauGFP (Mapt) looks pretty good in these corneal sensory afferents from the trigeminal
> **[Genetic Analysis of the Organization, Development, and Plasticity of Corneal...](https://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/7/1150/tab-figures-data)**
>
> The cornea has the densest sensory innervation of the body, originating primarily from neurons in the trigeminal ganglion. The basic principles of cornea nerve patterning have been established many years ago using classic neuroanatomical methods,...
Will give it a try and report back.
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### Author:  [@achamess](https://forum.painresearcher.net/u/achamess)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.painresearcher.net/t/best-transgenic-fluoroscent-protein-for-visualizing-axons-in-drg-neurons-in-culture/813/6 "2021-12-16T14:57:32Z")
Revisiting this topic beause I still don’t have a good solution.
Great discussion on Twitter.
I’m going to try Archon-GFP virus since it shouldn’t be affected by blue light (visualization)
>
@dmolliver