Single cell electroporation method for axon tracing in cultured slices

Axon tracing is an essential method to reveal neuronal connection patterns and characteristics of growing axons during development. Here we introduce an electroporation-based gene transfer technique with a fluorescent protein (FP), which enables us to observe a small number of axons. The result also demonstrates that dynamics of axon behavior can be followed for more than a week. Thus, such labeling with FP is a powerful tool for axon tracing.     

用电击孔法转染人红细胞生成素基因

用电击孔(electroporation)转染方法已成功地使化学合成的红细胞生成素(EPO)基因在猿猴肾细胞(COS-7)中表达。对转染条件、表达质粒(pSVL-EPO)DNA含量及转染后不同时间表达产率的观察和研究表明:电击孔缓冲液及相应电压的选择与表达产率有关,且表达质粒DNA量在50～100μg,转染细胞存活率在50％左右时,表达效果好。在转染后24h,便可在细胞上清液中测到EPO活性,48～72h达高峰,EPO活性可达9.7U/ml。     

Electromanipulation of plant protoplasts

The current status of electromanipulation, that is, electrofusion and electroporation, of plant protoplasts is reviewed. Parameters for electromanipulation as well as their practical implications are discussed. Some comparisons with the use of polyethylene glycol are made and the advantages of electromanipulation are considered.     

中脑多巴胺能神经元的轴突导向及其诱向因子

中脑多巴胺能神经元（mesodiencephalic dopamine,mdDA,neurons）由于涉及帕金森病、精神分裂症和药物成瘾等多种神经疾病的病理过程而历来受到人们的重视。研究中脑多巴胺能神经元的发育机制将给这些疾病的治疗带来希望。近来的研究表明多巴胺能神经元轴突的导向由各种诱向因子决定,诱向因子主要由相应投射部位的细胞所分泌,其中研究得最多的是ephrins,netrins,semaphorins,Slits及它们各自的受体。介绍胚胎期中脑多巴胺能神经元轴突导向过程及其主要诱向因子。     

可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒表达系统的建立及评价

目的：建立可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒表达系统。方法：体外合成编码随机12肽的DNA片段;在最优化的实验参数和反应条件下将DNA片段克隆入带有EGFP标记的逆转录病毒载体后分批次电击转化大肠杆菌,合并转化所得菌液即为可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒原始载体库;半固体扩增法扩增该原始载体库,提取质粒并转染GP2-293包装细胞,在EGFP表达最强的时间点收集细胞培养上清,即为可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒库。结果：可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒原始载体库的库容量为3.14×10^6cfu;扩增后的逆转录病毒载体库滴度为5.2×109cfu/mL,库容量为2.34×1011cfu;转染了已扩增的载体库质粒后的GP2-293包装细胞可以成功地表达随机12肽库。结论：建立了可表达随机12肽库的逆转录病毒表达系统,为抗病毒寡肽的筛选以及进一步的深入研究奠定了良好的基础。     

脂质体法和电穿孔法转染哺乳动物细胞研究

用脂质体法和电穿孔法分别转染Cos-7,Vero和Namalwa细胞.发现脂质体法在转染效率和操作方便方面比电穿孔法优越,而电穿孔法对细胞种类的适用性方面似乎比脂质体法广. 结果表明,电穿孔法能转染Cos-7,Namalwa和Vero细胞,而用脂质体法只能转染Cos-7和Vero细胞.     

Improved Transfection Efficiency of Chicken Gonadal Primordial Germ Cells for the Production of Transgenic Poultry

Electroporation is a common method of DNA transfection for many types of eukaryotic cells, but has not been attempted in avian primordial germ cells (PGCs). DNA uptake in chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) was tested using electroporation with and without dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Gonadal tissue and chicken embryonic fibroblasts (CEFs) were isolated from 6-day-old embryos (stage 29), transfected with pCMV carrying the bacterial lacZ gene, and cultured for 24 h. Gonadal primordial germ cells (gPGCs) were purified from culture using a Ficoll gradient. The addition of DMSO significantly increased the transfection efficiency of gPGCs but had no effect on chicken embryonic fibroblasts. Electroporation of gPGCs resulted in an 80% transfection efficiency, compared with about 17% observed with liposomes. Approximately 200 transfected gPGCs were injected into 2.5-day-old (stage 17) recipient embryos and the eggs were incubated for an additional 3.5 days, 7.5 days or to ...     

Transient Transfection of Oligodendrocyte Progenitors by Electroporation

The transient transfection of transgenes into oligodendrocytes offers an important tool for studying the function of proteins during myelin formation. Currently established procedures, however, have generally resulted in low survival rates and low levels of uptake of the transgene into primary oligodendrocyte progenitors. We describe an electroporation method which yields transient transfection of oligodendrocyte progenitors of up to 10–15% of the surviving cells, and provides approximately 10⁴ surviving, transfected cells per electroporation reaction. In recent applications transgene expression persisted as the transfected progenitors progressed through subsequent stages of the oligodendrocyte lineage. This technique is expected to facilitate the study of the function of key proteins and lipids during the development of primary cultured oligodendrocytes.     

Noggin is required for correct guidance of dorsal root ganglion axons

Members of the bone morphogenetic protein family of secreted protein signals have been implicated as axon guidance cues for specific neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans and in mammals. We have examined axonal pathfinding in mice lacking the secreted bone morphogenetic protein antagonist Noggin. We have found defects in projection of several groups of neurons, including the initial ascending projections from the dorsal root ganglia, motor axons innervating the distal forelimb, and cranial nerve VII. The case of the dorsal root ganglion defect is especially interesting: initial projections from the dorsal root ganglion enter the dorsal root entry zone, as normal, but then project directly into the gray matter of the spinal cord, rather than turning rostrally and caudally. Explant experiments suggest that the defect lies within the spinal cord and not the dorsal root ganglion itself. However, exogenous bone morphogenetic proteins are unable to attract or repel these axons, and the spinal cord shows only very subtle alterations in dorsal-ventral pattern in Noggin mutants. We suggest that the defect in projection into the spinal cord is likely the result of bone morphogenetic proteins disrupting the transduction of some unidentified repulsive signal from the spinal cord gray matter.     

Misexpression of genes in brain vesicles by in ovo electroporation

Transfection to living chick embryos in ovo by electroporation has been recently developed. In this mini-review, misexpression in brain vesicles is introduced. To transfect, expression plasmid is inserted in the brain vesicle, and the square pulse of 25 V, 50 ms was charged five times. The translation product of the transfected gene is detected 2 h after electroporation, and reaches the peak at 24 h after electroporation. Transfection is so effective that this method is contributing greatly to the study of the molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis.     

Semaphorin3A enhances endocytosis at sites of receptor-F-actin colocalization during growth cone collapse

Axonal growth cone collapse is accompanied by a reduction in filopodial F-actin. We demonstrate here that semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) induces a coordinated rearrangement of Sema3A receptors and F-actin during growth cone collapse. Differential interference contrast microscopy reveals that some sites of Sema3A-induced F-actin reorganization correlate with discrete vacuoles, structures involved in endocytosis. Endocytosis of FITC-dextran by the growth cone is enhanced during Sema3A treatment, and sites of dextran accumulation colocalize with actin-rich vacuoles and ridges of membrane. Furthermore, the Sema3A receptor proteins, neuropilin-1 and plexin, and the Sema3A signaling molecule, rac1, also reorganize to vacuoles and membrane ridges after Sema3A treatment. These data support a model whereby Sema3A stimulates endocytosis by focal and coordinated rearrangement of receptor and cytoskeletal elements. Dextran accumulation is also increased in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) growth cones, in response to ephrin A5, and in RGC and DRG growth cones, in response to myelin and phorbol-ester. Therefore, enhanced endocytosis may be a general principle of physiologic growth cone collapse. We suggest that growth cone collapse is mediated by both actin filament rearrangements and alterations in membrane dynamics.