GENE TRANSFER AND THE EXPRESSION OF A FOREIGNGENE IN VIVO IN POST-MITOTIC NEURONS OF THE ADULT RAT BRAIN

用日本血凝病毒(HVJ)和脂多糖体将抑制大肠杆菌β-半乳糖苷酶基因的简单质粒导入成年大鼠脑内的神经元，该基因是在鸡β-肌动蛋白启动子的控制下。光镜分析仅在10天内在中枢神经系统靶区检测到表达β-半乳糖苷酶的细胞。电子显微镜分析显示，组织化学反应产物主要与阳性细胞的核膜和内质网结合，表明产物是内源性翻译的，没有被内吞所捕获。此外，在典型的神经元细胞中可以观察到这些产物，这些细胞具有大的、圆形的和苍白的核，并与轴-体和轴-树突触直接接触。这份报告建议在成人中枢神经系统的目标区域引入功能显著基因神经元的可能性。

Neurons in the adult rat brain were transfected in vivo with a simple plasmid that harvored the gene forbeta-galactosidase from Escherichia coli under control of a chiken beta-actin promoter by use of the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ) and loposomes. Cells that expressed beta-galactosidase were detected only in the target area of the central nervous system for 10 days by light microscopic analysis. Since electron microscopic analysis revealed that the products of the histochemical reaction were predominantly associated with the nuclear membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum of positive cells, it appeard that the products were translated endogenously and had not been entrapped by endocytocis. Furthermore, the products were observed in typical neuronal cells with a large, round, and pale nuclei, and with direct axo-somatic and axo-dendritic synaptic contacts. This report suggests the possibility of introducing functionally sgnificant genes neurons in targeted areas of the adult central nervous system.