Alon Monsonego

Background: In a complex tissue of the central nervous system (CNS), cell cross-talk is essential to preserve normal functions. Current tools for dissecting the molecular mechanisms that mediate cell-cell interactions within the brain include molecular genetics, imaging and use of transgenic animals. However, these are technically challenging, time consuming and difficult to control. In this study we report the establishment and validation of a lentiviral-mediated gene-targeting platform to specific cells in the CNS. It combines unique features of self-inactivated lentiviruses that promote stable gene delivery into non-dividing cells and efficient display of single-chain variable region human fragments (scFv) or soluble IgG on the surface of viral particles.