Transfection MethodsCell transfection, or the introduction of foreign DNA into a cell, can be accomplished chemically, biologically, or mechanically. Current methods include electroporation, use of a virus vector, lipofection, gene guns, and microinjection.
Electroporation uses electricity to increase the permeability of the eukaryotic cell membrane, allowing foreign DNA to pass easily inside. This method is good for infecting large numbers of cells at once, but may alter cell phenotype. A virus vector causes little cell damage and can deliver a wide variety of DNA, but it too can alter phenotype. Lipofection, which delivers DNA by fusing to the cell wall and allowing its DNA payload to be absorbed into the cell, has a similar problem and is more limited in the DNA it can deliver.
The mechanical methods of manual microinjection and gene guns carry a risk of destroying the cell, but they are both excellent ways to deliver DNA to a specified target. Gene guns are limited in the number of cells at one time they can be used on. Microinjection is very precise, but it too can be slow and requires real operator skill. Microinjection, however, is a very promising methodology and may be used much more in the future. Even better, manual microinjection is rapidly being replaced by highly-efficient machine microinjections.
Web Resources On Transfection Methods
Current Methods of Transfection
Introduction to Transfection Methods
Book Resources On Transfection MethodsGene Therapeutics: Methods and Applications of Direct Gene Transfer by Jon A. Wolff
Gene Delivery to Mammalian Cells by Heiser & Walker (Editors)
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