title: Reconstruction and expression of the MRI-contrast protein, ferritin, with recombinant rabies vectors.
abstract: Attenuated recombinant rabies vector could be an ideal system for delivery of contrast agent gene for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) because of its neurotropic nature. In this study, the gene of a biomolecular contrast agent, ferritin, was successfully cloned into two rabies virus vectors, vaccine-based pCTN and street strain-based pNH. Recombinant virus granules were obtained and proved to express ferritin by RT-PCR after transfection of CTN-ferritin and NH-ferritin vector systems in BHK-21 cells. The recovered rabies virus-rCTN-ferritin was of similar ability to rNH-ferritin, which suggests the possibility of application of this safe and effective rabies vector system in delivery of diagnostic or therapeutic genes into the brain.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Pinggang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Gelin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jiaxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Nanming
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiufang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yandao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000378:metabolism; D006224:Cricetinae; D005293:Ferritins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005293:Ferritins