Objective: To study the effect of inactivated Coxsackie virus B1(CVB1), which was considered to have high affinity to skeletal muscle cell, on gene transfer efficiency of reporter gene, pCDNA3-LacZ, in primary muscle cells.
Methods: Viruses were purified by polyethylene sedimentation followed by sucrose supercentrifugation. Virus, transferrin-polylysine(TfpL) and LacZ were designed as different concentrations and groups, then positive cells contained beta-galactosidase were calculated as gene transfer efficiency.
Results: Inactivated CVB1 made an enhancement of gene transfer efficiency from less than 1% in TfpL+LacZ group to 15-20 per cent in CVB1+TfpL+LacZ group.
Conclusion: Like adenovirus, inactivated CVB1 can also increase gene transfer efficiency in muscle cells, which provides experimental basis for constructing new vector targeting to muscle cells.