pLenti Plasmids

pLenti plasmids are versatile lentiviral expression vectors designed for delivering genes into mammalian cells via lentiviral transduction. These plasmids are widely used for stable or transient gene expression, RNA interference, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. The lentiviral system allows efficient gene delivery into dividing and non-dividing cells, making it an essential tool for both basic research and therapeutic development.

Key Features of pLenti Plasmids

• Lentiviral Elements:
  • 5′ and 3′ Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs): Enable reverse transcription and integration into the host genome.
  • Psi (Ψ) Packaging Signal: Ensures efficient incorporation of RNA into viral particles.
  • Rev Response Element (RRE): Facilitates nuclear export of lentiviral RNA.
  • Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Posttranscriptional Regulatory Element (WPRE): Enhances mRNA stability and translation efficiency.
• Promoters:
  • CMV Promoter: Strong constitutive expression in various mammalian cells.
  • Optional cell-type-specific or inducible promoters (e.g., EF1α, TRE).
• Multiple Cloning Site (MCS):
  • Provides flexibility for inserting genes of interest.
• Selectable Markers:
  • Antibiotic Resistance: Ampicillin or kanamycin resistance for bacterial selection.
  • Mammalian Selectable Markers: Puromycin, hygromycin, or blasticidin resistance for stable cell line generation.

Applications of pLenti Plasmids

• Stable Gene Expression:
  • Integrates into the host genome for long-term expression in dividing and non-dividing cells.
• Transient Expression:
  • Enables short-term gene expression without integration into the host genome.
• RNA Interference:
  • Delivery of shRNA or miRNA sequences for gene silencing.
• CRISPR/Cas9 Applications:
  • Used to deliver CRISPR components (e.g., Cas9, gRNA) for genome editing.
• Therapeutic Development:
  • Gene therapy research for delivering therapeutic genes or RNA-based treatments.

pLenti plasmids are versatile and efficient tools for gene delivery, expression, and functional studies in mammalian cells. With their ability to integrate into the host genome and support stable expression, they are invaluable in research areas such as gene therapy, CRISPR genome editing, and disease modeling.