Modified Fibroblasts
We use recombinant retrovirus vectors to genetically modify cells as a strategy of promoting survival of injured neurons and axon regeneration.
A retrovirus is a virus which has a genome consisting of two RNA molecules, which may or may not be identical to each other. It relies on the enzyme reverse transcriptase to perform reverse transcription of its genome from RNA to DNA, which can then be integrated into the host's genome with an integrase enzyme.
In our paradigm, we have used a retrovirus containing neurotrophic genes, either neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) or brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) a marker gene, which allows us to track the genetically modified cells with various staining methods.
