Preferential transfection of adult mouse neural stem cells and their immediate progeny in vivo with polyethylenimine

Mol Cell Neurosci. 2002 Feb;19(2):165-74. doi: 10.1006/mcne.2001.1084.

Abstract

The subventricular zone of the adult mammalian brain harbors the neural stem cell population with potential neural regeneration and repair capacity. We describe a nonviral technique to preferentially transfect in vivo the adult neural stem cell population and its immediate progeny based on intraventricular injection of PEI/DNA complexes. The transfected population was identified by cellular and ultra-structural evidence showing their proliferating status and expression of the specific markers GFAP and nestin. Stable activation of the lacZ reporter by cre-recombinase transfection in R26R mice demonstrated survival and migration of stem cell derivatives three months after injection. Apoptosis is thought to be the most common fate of the stem cell progeny. Overexpression of Bcl-X(L) increased number and survival time of transduced progenitors and decreased the frequency of cells immunopositive for activated Caspase-3. This method thus provides selective targeting of the stem cell population and should allow an in-depth understanding of their biology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Astrocytes / cytology
  • Astrocytes / metabolism
  • Brain / drug effects*
  • Brain / growth & development*
  • Brain / ultrastructure
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases / genetics
  • Cell Division / genetics
  • Cell Lineage / drug effects*
  • Cell Lineage / genetics
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • DNA / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / drug effects*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / physiology
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / metabolism
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Integrases / genetics
  • Intermediate Filament Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins*
  • Nestin
  • Neurons / drug effects*
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Neurons / ultrastructure
  • Plasmids / pharmacology
  • Polyethyleneimine / pharmacology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
  • Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Stem Cells / ultrastructure
  • Transfection
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • bcl-X Protein
  • beta-Galactosidase / genetics

Substances

  • Bcl2l1 protein, mouse
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
  • Intermediate Filament Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Nes protein, mouse
  • Nestin
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Viral Proteins
  • bcl-X Protein
  • Polyethyleneimine
  • DNA
  • Cre recombinase
  • Integrases
  • beta-Galactosidase
  • Casp3 protein, mouse
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases

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