Genetic modification of cells in the central nervous system has undergone a significant expansion due to our better understanding of brain diseases and local, national and international initiatives to better understand brain function. These advances and policies fuelled the need for an array of gene transfer tools to address specific challenges.
There are a handful of platforms that can be used to deliver nucleic acids to brain cells. These include naked DNA or RNA ± reagents that condense and/or envelope the nucleic acid. These are, by most criteria, the simplest and easiest to generate. The nucleic acids can also be chemically modified to allow increased stability; RNA or DNA viruses that are enclosed in a lipid membrane (enveloped viruses). In most cases, proteins embedded in the lipid membrane can be swapped to modify the tropism of the virus and; RNA or DNA viruses that have a proteinaceous shell (non-enveloped). As above, many non-enveloped viruses have LEGO-like flexibility to add, delete, and swap proteins and motifs from other viruses or host molecules.
This Research Topic seeks the following contributions:
a) Original Research articles that use CAV-2 vectors to understand brain structure, function, and circuitry, or studies that describe molecular mechanism concerning the tropism and transport of CAV-2 in neurons
b) Reviews and Mini-Reviews focusing on recent advances in CAV-2 vector generation, tropism, and/or use.
c) Brief Research Reports that provides descriptive information on the tropism and biodistribution of CAV-2 vectors in the brains of rodents, nonhuman primates, or other model organisms.
The incentive behind the “Brief Research Reports” is that hundreds of laboratories have tested CAV-2 vectors in different nuclei and regions of the brains of mice, rats and NHPs. These data are often critical in terms of determining if the characteristics of CAV-2 tropism and retrograde transport are pertinent for the specific question being asked. Whether the project advances to subsequent steps are based on numerous criteria. As a repository for the neurobiology community, we are taking the initiative to collect these data in a collection of articles. In turn, these data can then be compared between labs (often using different strains or species) and provide a database for further studies.
Genetic modification of cells in the central nervous system has undergone a significant expansion due to our better understanding of brain diseases and local, national and international initiatives to better understand brain function. These advances and policies fuelled the need for an array of gene transfer tools to address specific challenges.
There are a handful of platforms that can be used to deliver nucleic acids to brain cells. These include naked DNA or RNA ± reagents that condense and/or envelope the nucleic acid. These are, by most criteria, the simplest and easiest to generate. The nucleic acids can also be chemically modified to allow increased stability; RNA or DNA viruses that are enclosed in a lipid membrane (enveloped viruses). In most cases, proteins embedded in the lipid membrane can be swapped to modify the tropism of the virus and; RNA or DNA viruses that have a proteinaceous shell (non-enveloped). As above, many non-enveloped viruses have LEGO-like flexibility to add, delete, and swap proteins and motifs from other viruses or host molecules.
This Research Topic seeks the following contributions:
a) Original Research articles that use CAV-2 vectors to understand brain structure, function, and circuitry, or studies that describe molecular mechanism concerning the tropism and transport of CAV-2 in neurons
b) Reviews and Mini-Reviews focusing on recent advances in CAV-2 vector generation, tropism, and/or use.
c) Brief Research Reports that provides descriptive information on the tropism and biodistribution of CAV-2 vectors in the brains of rodents, nonhuman primates, or other model organisms.
The incentive behind the “Brief Research Reports” is that hundreds of laboratories have tested CAV-2 vectors in different nuclei and regions of the brains of mice, rats and NHPs. These data are often critical in terms of determining if the characteristics of CAV-2 tropism and retrograde transport are pertinent for the specific question being asked. Whether the project advances to subsequent steps are based on numerous criteria. As a repository for the neurobiology community, we are taking the initiative to collect these data in a collection of articles. In turn, these data can then be compared between labs (often using different strains or species) and provide a database for further studies.
