Transplant immunology
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Transplant immunology · Jan 2003
Genetic modification of cold-preserved renal grafts using HSP70 or bcl-2 HVJ-liposome method.
We tested the hypothesis that the best time for genetic modification is while the cell viability of the graft is reduced for long-term preservation. The hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome method, a nonviral gene transfer technique, was used with a luciferase gene to test the efficacy of protein induction under the critical preservation time. Furthermore, we tested this genetic modification with heat shock protein (HSP) 70 or bcl-2 genes to prevent primary nonfunction (PNF) after long-term preservation. ⋯ The HVJ-liposome method effectively induced the foreign gene for kidney grafts even in the cold-preservation solution. Induction of bcl-2 or the HSP70 gene reduced the occurrence of PNF in the rat renal graft. The results suggest that gene transfer not only maintains graft viability, but also graft activation.