Abstract
Efficient and long-lasting transfection of primary neurons is an essential tool for addressing many questions in current neuroscience using functional gene analysis. Neurons are sensitive to cytotoxicity and difficult to transfect with most methods. We provide a protocol for transfection of cDNA and RNA interference (short hairpin RNA (shRNA)) vectors, using magnetofection, into rat hippocampal neurons (embryonic day 18/19) cultured for several hours to 21 d in vitro. This protocol even allows double-transfection of DNA into a small subpopulation of hippocampal neurons (GABAergic interneurons), as well as achieving long-lasting expression of DNA and shRNA constructs without interfering with neuronal differentiation. This protocol, which uses inexpensive equipment and reagents, takes 1 h; utilizes mixed hippocampal cultures, a transfection reagent, CombiMag, and a magnetic plate; shows low toxicity and is suited for single-cell analysis. Modifications done by our three laboratories are detailed.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Grigory Krapivinsky (Harvard Medical School, Boston) for help with preparing of shRNA coding vector. We are grateful to Corinne Sidler, Susanne Erb-Vögtli and Dubravka Göckeritz-Dujmovic (University of Zürich) for excellent technical assistance. This study was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (to C.F. and J.-M.F.), the Swiss Foundation for Research on Muscle Diseases (to C.F.), INSERM (to C.P. and I.M.) and the French Foundation for Medical Research (to I.C.).
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Buerli, T., Pellegrino, C., Baer, K. et al. Efficient transfection of DNA or shRNA vectors into neurons using magnetofection. Nat Protoc 2, 3090–3101 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2007.445
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2007.445
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