Effect of brain transfection of glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter-containing lentivirus on electroencephalogram activity in mice / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the effects of injecting glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter (pGFAP)-containing lentivirus into mouse hippocampus on electroencephalogram(EEG)activity, and to explore the feasibility of applying the lentivirus in epilepsy study. Methods Astrocytes-specific infection of pGFAP lentivirus was identified in both cultured hippocampal cells and hippocampal slices from mice by immunofluorescence techniques. The mice were divided into two groups artificial cerebrospinal fluid(ACSF)injection group and pGFAP lentivirus injection group. Changes in mice body weight were analyzed before and after brain injection. Changes of power spectrum and high-frequency oscillations(HFOs)of EEG were analyzed by Spike 2 software 3 to 4 weeks after pGFAP lentivirus injection. Results It was found that(1)non-neuron cells were selectively infected by pGFAP lentivirus in cultured hippocampal cells;(2)pGFAP lentivirus specifically infected GFAP+cells in dentate gyrus(DG)area of mouse hippocampus;(3)compared with ACSF injection group, mouse body weight had no significant changes 3 to 4 weeks after the virus injection in pGFAP lentivirus injection group; and(4)pGFAP lentivirus injected into DG area of hippocampus had no significant effect on power spectrum, or the number and mean duration of HFOs of EEG. Conclusion It is a feasible strategy to study the function of astrocytes in epilepsy by brain injection of pGFAP lentivirus.