The genetically encoded calcium (Ca2+) sensor GCaMP6 has been widely used for imaging Ca2+ transients in neuronal somata, dendrites, and synapses. Here the authors describe five new transgenic mouse lines expressing GCaMP6F (fast) or GCaMP6S (slow) in the central and peripheral nervous system under the control of theThy1.2 promoter. These transgenic lines exhibit stable and layer-specific expression of GCaMP6 in multiple brain regions. They have several unique features compared to existingThy1.2-GCaMP6 mice, including sparse expression of GCaMP6 in layer V pyramidal neurons of the cerebral cortex, motor neurons in the spinal cord, as well as sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). These mouse lines allow for robust detection of Ca2+ transients in neuronal somata and apical dendrites in the cerebral cortex of both anesthetized and awake behaving mice, as well as in DRG neurons. These transgenic lines allows calcium imaging of dendrites and somas of pyramidal neurons in specific cortical layers that is difficult to achieve with existing methods.
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