Noninvasive imaging of lentiviral-mediated reporter gene expression in living mice.

Lentiviral-mediated gene delivery holds significant promise for sustained gene expression within living systems. Vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein-pseudotyped human immunodeficiency virus type 1-based lentiviral vectors can be used to introduce transgenes in a broad spectrum of dividing as well as nondividing cells. In the current study, we construct a lentiviral vector carrying two reporter genes separated by an internal ribosomal entry site and utilize that virus in delivering both genes into neuroblastoma cells in cell culture and into cells implanted in living mice.