Recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene delivery into the rat retinal pigment epithelium in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
The present paper describes changes following the subretinal injection of a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus carrying the beta-galactosidase reporter gene construct into the rat retina.


METHODS
Ad.RSV.betagal-mediated transduction of rat retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in vitro and in vivo was examined following X-gal staining.


RESULTS
There was a low level of beta-galactosidase expression in the RPE cells at 4 days postinjection. At 7 days postinjection, a strong transgene expression was present in RPE cells and the expression was maintained at 14 days postinjection. Except for the accumulation of cells at the site of the injection, the morphology of the rest of the retina remained normal.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that the RPE layer can be successfully targeted for gene delivery in the rat.
Centre of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia. rakoczy@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
P E
PE
Rakoczy
C M
CM
Lai
W Y
WY
Shen
N
N
Daw
I J
IJ
Constable
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000821:virology; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014162:Transfection; D019076:Transgenes; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase