Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of proteins and sugars surrounding the neurons in the brain that performs an important role in regulating brain functions like learning, memory, and behavior.

However, the study of how the ECM structure changes over time has been limited due to a lack of effective tools. Researchers from the University of Utah Health have developed a new genetic labeling tool that tracks changing ECM patterns in mice (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Dynamic organization of neuronal extracellular matrix revealed by HaloTag-HAPLN1

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This innovation has uncovered how the ECM varies around different types of brain cells and how it changes as the brain develops.

Tracking ECM Changes Around Brain Cells with New Tool

The new tool has two main parts: a protein that binds to the main ingredients of the brain ECM fused to another protein that irreversibly sticks to a variety of synthetic fluorescent dyes.

When scientists introduced the tool into neurons, it bound to the surrounding matrix. Then, they added a fluorescent dye to make matrix structures visible. Using this tool, the researchers were able to observe ECM deposition over time in cultured rodent brain cells, identifying dense clusters of matrix that appeared on certain neurons at different times.

How ECM Changes Around Brain Cells Over Time

The researchers were also able to measure changes in brain ECM in mice by adding different fluorescent dyes at different times. They inferred that ECM structures marked by the second dye, but not the first, had developed between the application of the two dyes.

The scientists hope this tool will open the door to further studies on how the ECM contributes to brain function in complex ways. “In the brain, the ECM regulates neuronal plasticity and cognitive function, but its structural features remain poorly understood,” Park says. “Using our longitudinal genetic tool to track ECM dynamics, we can visualize how neurons assemble and remodel ECM during development, cognitive processes, and aging.”

1. Dynamic organization of neuronal extracellular matrix revealed by HaloTag-HAPLN1 – (https:www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2024/09/04/JNEUROSCI.0666-24.2024
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Source-Eurekalert