title: Lentiviral vectors enveloped with rabies virus glycoprotein can be used as a novel retrograde tracer to assess nerve recovery in rat sciatic nerve injury models.
abstract: Retrograde labeling has become the new "gold standard" technique to evaluate the recovery of injured peripheral nerves. In this study, lentiviral vectors with rabies virus glycoprotein envelop (RABV-G-LV) and RFP genes are injected into gastrocnemius muscle to determine the location of RFP in sciatic nerves. We then examine RFP expression in the L4-S1 spinal cord and sensory dorsal root ganglia and in the rat sciatic nerve, isolated Schwann cells, viral dose to expression relationship and the use of RABV-G-LV as a retrograde tracer for regeneration in the injured rat sciatic nerve. VSV-G-LV was used as control for viral envelope specificity. Results showed that RFP were positive in the myelin sheath and lumbar spinal motorneurons of the RABV-G-LV group. RFP gene could be detected both in myelinated Schwann cells and lumbar spinal motor neurons in the RABV-G-LV group. Schwann cells isolated from the RABV-G-LV injected postnatal Sprague Dawley rats were also RFP-gene positive. All the results obtained in the VSV-G-LV group were negative. Distribution of RFP was unaltered and the level of RFP expression increasing with time progressing. RABV-G-LV could assess the amount of functional regenerating nerve fibers two months post-operation in the four models. This method offers an easy-operated and consistent standardized approach for retrograde labeling regenerating peripheral nerves, which may be a significant supplement for the previous RABV-G-LV-related retrograde labeling study.
authors: Institute of Neurological Disorders, Yuquan Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yujun
authors: Y
authors: Wei
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Gong
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Ao
authors: Aijun
authors: A
authors: Wang
authors: Yandao
authors: Y
authors: Gong
authors: Huancong
authors: H
authors: Zuo
authors: Yuqi
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Guihuai
authors: G
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D002469:Cell Separation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005453:Fluorescence; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013266:Stilbamidines / Q000378:metabolism; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009418:S100 Proteins; D013266:Stilbamidines; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein; C049774:2-hydroxy-4,4'-diamidinostilbene, methanesulfonate salt; C064951:glycoprotein G, Rabies virus; C051774:neurofilament protein H