Transfection of Neuronal Cultures

Efficient transfection of genes into the neurons is a crucial step for the study of neuronal cell biology and functions. These include but not limited to investigating gene function by overexpression of target proteins via expression plasmids and knocking down the expression levels of neuronal genes by RNA interference (RNAi). In addition, reporter gene constructs are widely used to investigate the promoter activities of neuronal genes. Numerous transfection techniques have been established to deliver genes into the cells. However, efficient transfection of postmitotic cells, including neurons, still remains a challenging task. Here, we overview the advantages and disadvantages of various techniques for the transfection of primary neurons, and provide an optimized protocol for FuGENE-6 (Promega) which allows for a suitable transfection efficiency of primary neuronal cultures.