title: Rapid and stable knockdown of an endogenous gene in retinal pigment epithelium.
abstract: The selective silencing of target genes in specific cell types by RNA interference (RNAi) represents a powerful approach both to gene therapy of dominantly active mutant alleles, and to the investigation of normal gene function in animal models in vivo. We established a simple and versatile in vitro method for screening the efficacy of DNA-based short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), and identified a highly effective shRNA targeting basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a gene thought to play important roles in endogenous neuroprotective responses in the rat retina. We used two viral vectors, based on lentivirus and adeno-associated virus (AAV), to deliver shRNAs and silence bFGF in retinal pigment epithelial cells in vivo. The AAV experiments made use of a "stabilized double-stranded" version of these vectors with rapid onset of gene expression. In the rat retinal pigment epithelium, shRNAs delivered by either vector reduced bFGF immunoreactivity to undetectable levels in transduced cells, whereas a nonfunctional control construct incorporating a two-base pair mutation had no measurable effect on bFGF expression. Silencing commenced within a few days after injection of virus and remained stable throughout the period of observation, as long as 60 days. Viral delivery of RNAi constructs offers a powerful and versatile approach for both gene therapy and the analysis of fundamental questions in retinal biology.
authors: Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors: Daniel M
authors: DM
authors: Paskowitz
authors: Kenneth P
authors: KP
authors: Greenberg
authors: Douglas
authors: D
authors: Yasumura
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Grimm
authors: Haidong
authors: H
authors: Yang
authors: Jacque L
authors: JL
authors: Duncan
authors: Mark A
authors: MA
authors: Kay
authors: Matthew M
authors: MM
authors: Lavail
authors: John G
authors: JG
authors: Flannery
authors: Douglas
authors: D
authors: Vollrath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D000229:Dependovirus / Q000235:genetics; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018390:Gene Targeting; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2