Using i-Fect to Knock Down GLT-1 Gene in vivo

Pain Researchers continue to use our i-Fect^TM Transfection Kit for Gene Expression Analysis

Valproate Prevents Dysregulation of Spinal Glutamate and Reduces the Development of Hypersensitivity in Rats After Peripheral Nerve Injury. The Journal of Pain, Volume 14, Issue 11, November 2013, Pages 1485–1491 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2013.07.007.

Researchers use the kit to deliver Glutamate Receptor 1 siRNA in vivo.
The present study examined whether the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproate prevents downregulation of glutamate transporters in the primary cultured astrocytes and in the spinal cord after L5-L6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) and whether this action of valproate on spinal glutamate transporters prevents spinal glutamate dysregulation and development of hypersensitivity after SNL. In cultured astrocytes, valproate prevented downregulation of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) and glutamate-aspartate transporter in a concentration-dependent manner. Repeated oral administration of valproate reduced the development of hypersensitivity and prevented the downregulation of spinal GLT-1 and glutamate-aspartate transporter expression in rats after SNL, but did not affect mechanical nociception and expression of those transporters in normal rats. Valproate's effects on hypersensitivity and spinal GLT-1 expression in SNL rats were blocked by intrathecal administration of the selective GLT-1 blocker dihydrokainic acid or the GLT-1 selective small interfering RNA (siRNA). Extracellular glutamate concentration in the spinal cord, measured by microdialysis, was increased in animals with SNL or after GLT-1 selective siRNA treatment, and valproate prevented the SNL-induced glutamate increase. These results suggest that valproate reduces the development of chronic pain after nerve injury in part by preventing downregulation of glutamate transporters, especially GLT-1, to maintain normal extracellular glutamate concentrations in the spinal cord.

i-Fect siRNA Transfection Successes

Meeting your Gene Expression Analysis Requirements.

I have posted many success stories resulting from use of  Neuromics'  Neuromics' i-Fect^TM siRNA Transfection Kit. It has been 3 months since my last posting so here I would like to post some recent highlights.

Here I feature customer publication demonstrating:

1. Down regulation of Neuroligin 2-data showed unexpected upregulation and pronociceptive effects of the “inhibitory” NL2 in neuropathic pain, suggesting a functional shift of NL2 from inhibition to excitation that changed the synaptic ratio toward higher excitation.
2. Role of IGFPB5 for survival of neurons in post-natal development.
3. HDAC role in Anxiety and Alcoholsim

Here're the publications:
Tiphaine Dolique, Alexandre Favereaux, Olivier Roca-Lapirot, Virginie Roques, Claire Léger, Marc Landy, Frédéric Nagy, Unexpected association of the “inhibitory” Neuroligin 2 with excitatory PSD95 in neuropathic pain, PAIN, Available online 25 July 2013, ISSN 0304-3959, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2013.07.035.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030439591300403X)...The siRNAs were solubilized in 10 µl of i-Fect reagent (Neuromics, Edina, Minnesota, USA) following Neuromics instructions and published protocol, and applied intrathecally using a Hamilton syringe...

Masaki Ueno,Yuki Fujita, Tatsuhide Tanaka, Yuka Nakamura, Junichi Kikuta, Masaru Ishii & Toshihide Yamashita. Layer V cortical neurons require microglial support for survival during postnatal development. Nature Neuroscience 16, 543–551 (2013) doi:10.1038/nn.3358.
...vehicle (PBS) was delivered intraventricularly through the cisterna magna with a glass pipette while P3 mice were cold anesthetized. Igf1 siRNA (stealth siRNA, Invitrogen) or Igfbp5 siRNA with i-Fect reagent (Neuromics) was delivered intraventricularly through the cisterna magna at P3 twice with a 12-h interval...

Sachin Moonat, Amul J. Sakharkar, Huaibo Zhang, Lei Tanga, Subhash C. Pandey. Aberrant Histone Deacetylase2–Mediated Histone Modifications and Synaptic Plasticity in the Amygdala Predisposes to Anxiety and Alcoholism. Biological Psychiatry. doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.01.012
...The siRNAs were dissolved in iFect solution (Neuromics, Edina)...

I will keep updating you as more pubs and data becomes available.

i-Fect Delivers IGF1 siRNA to the Mouse Brain

Intraventricular Injections Used to Study Neuronal Survival During Post Natal Development

Neuromics' i-Fect^TM Transfection Kit continue to be successfully used to deliver siRNA, shRNA and miRNA to cell cultures and the CNS in vivo (via intrathecal, epidural and intraventricular injection). Genes studied include: ABCA, ASIC, β-arrestin, CAV_1.2, IGF1, CX3CR1, DOR, ELOVL4, IKBKAP, K+-ATPase, K_V1.1, K_V9.1 ,The β3 subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase, NTS1, NAV_1.8, NTS1, NOV, Raf-1, RANK,SNSR1, hTertTRPV1 NOV, Survivin, TLR4, Troy and TRPV1. Related Publications.

It is always an honor for one our products to be referenced in one of the Nature publications. Here researchers use i-Fect to study the impact of microglial derived IGF1 silencing on Neuronal Survival: Masaki Ueno,Yuki Fujita, Tatsuhide Tanaka, Yuka Nakamura, Junichi Kikuta, Masaru Ishii, Toshihide Yamashita. Layer V cortical neurons require microglial support for survival during postnatal development. Nature Neuroscience 16, 543–551 (2013) doi:10.1038/nn.3358. ...vehicle (PBS) was delivered intraventricularly through the cisterna magna with a glass pipette while P3 mice were cold anesthetized. Igf1 siRNA (stealth siRNA, Invitrogen) or Igfbp5 siRNA with i-Fect reagent (Neuromics) was delivered intraventricularly through the cisterna magna at P3 twice with a 12-h interval...

Images: (a) Igf1 expression (blue) and Iba1-positive microglia (brown) in P5 brain. Scale bar represents 400 μm. (b) Magnified view of dotted square in a. Scale bar represents 50 μm. (c,d) IGF1Ra expression (red) in CTIP2-positive (c) and SATB2-positive (d) layer V neurons at P5. Scale bar represents 50 μm. (e) IGF1 protein levels in medium from cultured cortical neurons, microglia and neurons with microglia in transwell systems detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). **P < 0.01 (neuron, microglia + neuron, n = 5; microglia, n = 6 experiments; one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer test). (f) The number of cleaved caspase-3–positive neurons in transwell systems treated with LY294002 or H-1356 or transfected to microglia with Igf1 siRNA. *P < 0.05, **P less than  0.01 (n = 3 experiments, one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer test). (g) Neuronal phospho-AKT expression in cultured cortical neurons and those with microglia in transwell system. (h) TUNEL-positive cells in H-1356–treated cortex (36 h after treatment). Scale bar represents 100 μm. (i) The number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in each layer in vehicle- (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS) or H-1356–treated mice (36 h after injection). *P < 0.05 (n = 4 brains, one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer test). (j) Cleaved caspase-3–labeled cells (red) expressing CTIP2 (green, arrowheads). Scale bar represents 100 μm. (k,l) TUNEL-positive cells in the cortex treated with control or Igf1 siRNA (48 h after treatment). Scale bar represents 100 μm. (m) The number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in each layer in control siRNA– and Igf1 siRNA–treated mice. **P less than 0.01 (n = 5 brains, one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer test). Error bars represent s.e.m.

I will continue to post new developments and successes.

i-Fect™ Delivers you siRNA Payload

Delivering siRNA to Dorsal Root Ganglia to Silence K_V Receptors.

Our i-Fect transfection kits continue to be used to optimize delivery in vivo and into hard to transfect cells like primary neurons. In these 2 latest expamples, researchers use i-Fect to deliver siRNA to K_V Receptors in Rat DRGs. Knocking down these receptors enable the study of their role in pain modulation: John H. Winston, Sushil K. Sarna. Developmental Origins of Functional Dyspepsia-Like Gastric Hypersensitivity in Rats. Gastroenterology. Volume 144, Issue 3, March 2013, Pages 570–579.e3. dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2012.11.001....intrathecal treatment, 2 μg of the appropriate siRNA was mixed (1:5 vol/vol) with i-Fect transfection reagent (Neuromics, Edina, MN); rats received 2 ug siRNA/10 uL/rat/injection...

Figures. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Kv1.1 expression in thoracic DRG significantly increased gastric sensitivity in naive adult rats. (A) Western blots showed a significant decrease in Kv1.1 protein in thoracic DRG (T8–T12) after intrathecal treatment with Kv1.1 siRNA but not with control siRNA. siRNA treatment did not alter TrpV1 expression (n = 5 rats each; *P < .01 vs control siRNA). (B) Naive rats treated with Kv1.1 siRNA showed a significant increase in VMR to gastric distention (n = 5 rats each, compared with pretreatment baseline; *P < .05). (C) Treatment with control siRNA had no significant effect on gastric hypersensitivity. (D) Patch clamp recordings from freshly dissociated gastric DRG neurons from FD-like and PND 10 saline-treated littermate controls showed a significant decrease in rheobase in FD-like rats (*P < .05), and (E) a significant increase in the number of action potentials elicited by current injection at 3× the rheobase in gastric DRG neurons from FD-like rats (*P < .05). (F) Sample voltage vs time traces showing action potentials evoked at ×1, ×2, and ×3 rheobase. The patch clamp data were obtained from 16 cells from 5 PND 10 saline control rats and 19 cells from 5 FD-like rats.
Tsantoulas C, Zhu L, Shaifta Y, Grist J, Ward JP, Raouf R, Michael GJ, McMahon SB. Sensory neuron downregulation of the Kv9.1 potassium channel subunit mediates neuropathic pain following nerve injury. J Neurosci. 2012 Nov 28;32(48):17502-13. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3561-12.2012..."I'd just like to notify you about a recent paper from my team which utilised iFect for in vivo transfection of dorsal root ganglia." Dr. Christoforos Tsantoulas, University of Cambridge...i-Fect-siRNA-mediated knock-down of Kv9.1 in naive rats led to neuropathic pain behaviors...

These add to the many publications referencing use of i-Fect to deliver siRNA. Genes studied include:  DOR, hTERT, The β3 subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase, rSNSR1, NTS1. NAV1.8, , RANK, Toll-Like Receptors, Kv Recptors, BDNF, Ret, TRPV1, Survivin, Flaviviruses, NOV, Troy β-arrestin, TRPV1 CAV1.2 TLR4 and ASIC.

BDNF and Recovery of Motor Function After Brian Injury

Researchers use i-Fect^TM to Study BDNF Silencing in Mice

Brain injury that results in an initial behavioural deficit is frequently followed by spontaneous recovery. The intrinsic mechanism of this functional recovery has never been fully understood. Here, we show that reorganization of the corticospinal tract induced by target-derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor is crucial for spontaneous recovery of motor function following brain injury:  Masaki Ueno, Yasufumi Hayano1, Hiroshi Nakagawa and Toshihide Yamashita. Intraspinal rewiring of the corticospinal tract requires target-derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor and compensates lost function after brain injury. Brain (2012) doi: 10.1093/brain/aws053. ... motor cortex at 14 days after the injury, using i-Fect™ transfection reagents (Neuromics) according to the manufacture's instruction .

Findings Overview: After destruction of unilateral sensorimotor cortex, intact-side corticospinal tract formed sprouting fibres into the specific lamina of the denervated side of the cervical spinal cord, and made new contact with two types of spinal interneurons—segmental and propriospinal neurons. Anatomical and electrophysiological analyses revealed that this rewired corticospinal tract functionally linked to motor neurons and forelimb muscles. This newly formed corticospinal circuit was necessary for motor recovery, because transection of the circuit led to impairment of recovering forelimb function. Knockdown of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the spinal neurons or its receptor in the intact corticospinal neurons diminished fibre sprouting of the corticospinal tract. Our findings establish the anatomical, functional and molecular basis for the intrinsic capacity of neurons to form compensatory neural network following injury.

We will continue to post new references to our Transfection Kits.