ABSTRACT
Various classes of retroviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses have been successfully adapted for development of recombinant vectors with the aim of longterm gene delivery to different cell types in different tissues [1]. Lentiviruses belong to a class of retroviruses that efficiently infect both dividing and non-dividing (postmitotic) cells, making the recombinant lentiviral vectors applicable for stable, longterm gene delivery to neurons [1-4]. The latest, state-of-the-art generations of the lentiviral vectors have a large (about 9 kilobases) transfer capacity, and gene delivery via these vectors is devoid of cellular cytotoxicity or humoral response. Thus, whereas these vectors are being developed primarily for clinical applications in gene therapy, they provide an excellent and easy-to-use tool for gene manipulation in cultured neurons as well as in neurons in vivo, something that has been long missing in basic neuroscience research.
