title: Dual-promoter lentiviral vectors for constitutive and regulated gene expression in neurons.
abstract: Gene transfer methods for efficient co-expression of exogenous proteins in neurons are crucial tools towards the understanding of the molecular basis of the central nervous system. Lentiviruses are retroviral vectors that can transduce a wide variety of cells including differentiated neurons. In this work, we have generated lentiviral vectors containing dual promoters that allow efficient co-expression of exogenous proteins in neurons. We show that insertion of two copies of a human synapsin promoter/WPRE cassette in a single lentiviral vector directs robust co-expression of cDNAs in cultured neurons, while excluding expression in the surrounding glial cells. Furthermore, insertion of the tetracycline-inducible system (Tet-off) controlled by the synapsin promoter results in tightly regulated expression of EGFP when used as a transgene in cultured neurons. Transduction of primary neurons with this inducible system leads to a 100-fold increase in EGFP mRNA levels in the absence of doxycycline. In transduced cultures, EGFP transcription is inhibited within 24h upon addition of doxycycline. The viral systems we developed here provide neuron-specific and regulated expression mediated by single lentiviral vectors and will prove valuable tools for the study of neuronal function.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas Alberto Sols, CSIC-UAM, Arturo Duperier, 4, 28029-Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gascón
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Paez-Gomez
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz-Guerra
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheiffele
authors.forename: Francisco G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Scholl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004318:Doxycycline