title: Retroviruses as tools to study the immune system.
abstract: Retrovirus-based vectors provide an efficient means to introduce and express genes in cells of the immune system and have become a popular tool to study immune function. They are easy to manipulate and provide stable, long-term gene expression because they integrate into the genome. Current retroviral vectors do have limitations that affect their usefulness in certain applications. However, recent advances suggest a number of ways in which these vectors might be improved to extend their utility in immunological research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California Institute of Technology, MC147-75, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lois
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Refaeli
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Parijs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers