[HTML][HTML] Direct lentivirus injection for fast and efficient gene transfer into brown and beige adipose tissue

A Balkow, LS Hoffmann, K Klepac, A Glöde… - Journal of Biological …, 2016 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
A Balkow, LS Hoffmann, K Klepac, A Glöde, T Gnad, K Zimmermann, A Pfeifer
Journal of Biological Methods, 2016ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Brown adipose tissue is a special type of fat contributing to energy expenditure in human
newborns and adults. Moreover, subcutaneous white adipose tissue has a high capacity to
adapt an energy-consuming, brown-like/beige phenotype. Here, we developed an easy to
handle and fast to accomplish method to efficiently transfer genes into brown and beige fat
pads in vivo. Lentiviral vectors are directly injected into the target fat pad of anesthetized
mice through a small incision using a modified, small needle connected to a microsyringe …
Abstract
Brown adipose tissue is a special type of fat contributing to energy expenditure in human newborns and adults. Moreover, subcutaneous white adipose tissue has a high capacity to adapt an energy-consuming, brown-like/beige phenotype. Here, we developed an easy to handle and fast to accomplish method to efficiently transfer genes into brown and beige fat pads in vivo. Lentiviral vectors are directly injected into the target fat pad of anesthetized mice through a small incision using a modified, small needle connected to a microsyringe, which is well suited for infiltration of adipose tissues. Expression of the target gene can be detected in brown/beige fat one week after injection. The method can be applied within minutes to efficiently deliver transgenes into subcutaneous adipose tissues. Thus, this protocol allows for studying genes of interest in a timely manner in murine brown/beige fat and could potentially lead to new gene therapies for obesity.
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