HIGHLY EFFICIENT RETROVIRUS-MEDIATED GENE-TRANSFER INTO RAT HEPATOCYTES IN-VIVO

We have used high-titer (10(8) ffu/ml) recombinant retroviral vectors to transfer the P-galactosidase (P-Gal) gene to rat hepatocytes in viv o. In animals injected twice in the portal blood stream the next day a fter partial hepatectomy, half of the hepatocytes (46 +/- 17%) express ed the marker at the end of liver regeneration. The number of positive cells closely correlated with the viral titer as well as with P-Gal e nzymatic activity present in the whole liver, Because genes transferre d via retroviral vectors in the liver are known to be expressed perman ently, our present results open new possibilities for the development of gene therapy protocols for hereditary liver diseases using recombin ant retroviral vectors.