IN-VIVO ELECTRICALLY MEDIATED PROTEIN AND GENE-TRANSFER IN MURINE MELANOMA

We show that efficient permeabilization of murine melanoma can be obta ined in vivo by applying electric pulses. More than 80% of the cell po pulation is affected as shown by the penetration of propidium iodide. A protein, beta-galactosidase, can be transferred and expressed into t he cells by incorporating either the protein or a plasmid carrying the reporter gene with respective efficiencies of 20% and 4%, This is obt ained by a direct injection of either the protein or the plasmid in th e tumor, followed by the application of electric pulses with surface e lectrodes in contact with the skin. This approach is simple and safe t o use, reproducible, and specific; moreover, it is potentially applica ble to a wide variety of tissues, cell types, and animals.