title: In-vivo gene transfer into newly hatched chick brain by electroporation.
abstract: Newly hatched domestic chicks serve as ideal models for studies of the neural basis of behavioral plasticity, particularly for understanding the mechanisms of learning such as filial imprinting. To elucidate the molecular basis and gene functions involved in learning, we developed an in-vivo gene-transfer system in the brain of a living chick using electroporation. When green fluorescent protein-encoding plasmids were transfected to a chick brain, green fluorescence was clearly observed, and expression at the protein level was confirmed by immunoblotting. Most of the transfected brain cells were neuronal cells with dendrites. This neuron-selective electroporation system will facilitate the analysis of gene functions in the living chick brain and provide further clues as to the molecular mechanisms of avian learning.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katagiri
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fujii-Taira
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsushima
authors.forename: Koichi J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Homma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins