Objective: To construct a lentivirus vector carrying wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and evaluate its ability of tracing WGA in the brain of mice with ischemic brain injury.
Methods: WGA gene was inserted into the lentiviral vector Plvx IRES-ZsGreen1 using genetic engineering methods. 293T cells were transfected with the vector and 3 packaging plasmids (RPEV, PRRE, and VSVG) to obtain the recombinant lentivirus for infection of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). The infected hADSCs were injected into the damaged brain area by in situ injection in a mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and the expression of GFP was traced.
Results: Immunofluorescence identification detected WGA protein expression in the infected hADSCs, which survived in the infarct area of mice with MCAO.
Conclusion: Packaging WGA gene in lentivirus is a reliable approach to allow efficient neuroanatomical tracing of various cells.