Silencing particular neuronal populations in DRG

Experimental Techniques
1

I’m looking forward to silencing the A and C fibers that innervate the colon. I thought of using QX-314 along with flaggelin or capsaicin but looks like they do have confounding effects through activation of other TLR5+ cells…
What could be a better way to do it?

Thanks

2

Hi @aaditya79
I think an Optogenetic approach might be the best way to ensure selectivity.

Otherwise, you could use a viral strategy to introduce DREADDs into colonic sensory neurons. You would need to do a surgery to access the colon and then do careful injections with a retrograde AAV (which is challenging with DRG).

I think a transgenic optogenetic silencer line and then light per rectum or via wireless device might be the best. I would not use flaggelin/QX314. How would you even introduce it? Enema?

@snajjar