1. ¹Program in Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
2. ²Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
3. ³Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
4. ⁴National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
5. ⁵Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

Correspondence: Professor BL Davidson, 200 EMRB, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA

Received 6 September 2004; Accepted 2 April 2005; Published online 2 June 2005.

Abstract

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the neurogenic niches in the adult mammalian brain. The SVZ is of interest for studies on neurogenesis and stem cell therapy. Here, we report specific transduction of ependyma and/or astrocytes by recombinant adeno-associated virus type 4 (AAV4) viral vectors. AAV4 vectors encoding -galactosidase or eGFP were injected into the lateral ventricles of neonatal and adult C57BL/6 mouse brains. In addition, SVZ injections were conducted on adult mice. AAV4 vectors show a characteristic transduction of the ependyma independent of delivery route. However, AAV4 virus injected into the SVZ targeted GFAP positive astrocytes forming the glial tube in the SVZ and rostral migratory stream (RMS). Our results introduce AAV4 as a new tool by which to manipulate glial cells in the RMS.