Retroviral Infection of 300.19 and J774 Cell Lines

Retroviruses are a family of viruses that are able to transcribe their RNA into DNA and stably integrate into the genome of the host. Retroviral vectors are based on members of the Retroviridae family from which the genes required for replication have been removed and replaced with genetic material of interest to the investigator. Retroviral vectors are known for their efficient transduction of dividing cells and long term stability due to genomic integration. This paper demonstrates that the retroviral vector of interest, MSCV-LTRmiR30-sG40 GFP (MLS), can effectively infect two cell lines, the 300.19 pre-B cell line and the J774 macrophage cell line. Moreover, the experiments determine the optimal conditions for both harvest and storage of viral supernatant, and compare infection efficiency with an established lentiviral system. This work shows that MLS-based libraries can be used for further genetic screens.