Specific transduction and labeling of pancreatic ducts by targeted recombinant viral infusion into mouse pancreatic ducts

Lab Invest. 2013 Nov;93(11):1241-53. doi: 10.1038/labinvest.2013.113. Epub 2013 Oct 7.

Abstract

Specific labeling of pancreatic ducts has proven to be quite difficult. Such labeling has been highly sought after because of the power it would confer to studies of pancreatic ductal carcinogenesis, as well as studies of the source of new insulin-producing β-cells. Cre-loxp recombination could, in theory, lineage-tag pancreatic ducts, but results have been conflicting, mainly due to low labeling efficiencies. Here, we achieved a high pancreatic duct labeling efficiency using a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) with a duct-specific sox9 promoter infused into the mouse common biliary/pancreatic duct. We saw rapid, diffuse duct-specific labeling, with 50 and 89% labeling in the pancreatic tail and head region, respectively. This highly specific labeling of ducts should greatly enhance our ability to study the role of pancreatic ducts in numerous aspects of pancreatic growth, development and function.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Lineage
  • Dependovirus / genetics*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Infusion Pumps
  • Mice
  • Pancreas / cytology
  • Pancreas / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Ducts / cytology
  • Pancreatic Ducts / metabolism*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Regeneration
  • SOX9 Transcription Factor / genetics
  • Transduction, Genetic / instrumentation
  • Transduction, Genetic / methods*

Substances

  • Recombinant Proteins
  • SOX9 Transcription Factor
  • Sox9 protein, mouse
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins