Electroporation of proviral RCAS DNA alters gene expression in the embryonic chick hindbrain

Gene transfer by means of electroporation is an effective method for delivering DNA into cells. Expression vectors encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) are routinely used as a control for this technique and are also regularly used to indirectly or directly monitor the expression of introduced transgenes. However, recent studies suggest that GFP may have nonspecific and/or cytotoxic side effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of enhanced GFP (EGFP) expression delivered by means of electroporation of proviral RCASBP(B)-EGFP DNA on gene expression in the hindbrain of chick embryos. We examined, via whole-mount in situ hybridization, the expression of a number of transcription factors. We found that Tlx-1 was ectopically expressed following electroporation of proviral RCASBP(B)-EGFP DNA. In contrast, the number of cells expressing Tlx-3, Phox2a, and Phox2b were reduced. Intriguingly, these effects could be mimicked by electroporation of wild-type proviral RCASBP(B) DNA (i.e., lacking the GFP insert). However, neither delivery of the EGFP transgene by means of viral infection nor electroporation alone yielded aberrant expression patterns. Together our data indicate that alterations of gene expression patterns are not directly due to the expression of EGFP but instead reflect a confounding effect of electroporating proviral DNA.