Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of Bcl-2 promote the survival of primary culture of spiral ganglion cells in vitro

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of exogenous Bcl-2 protein expression on surviving of primary culture of spiral ganglion cells. METHODS The spiral ganglion cells of newly born rats were cultured in vitro.The adenoviral vector containing human Bcl-2 gene was used to infect the rat spiral ganglion cells.Western blot was used to detect the expression of exogenous Bcl-2 protein.The spiral ganglion cells were identified by immunohistochemistry. The number of SGCs was counted under inverted phase contrast microscope.RESULTS Western Blot revealed that the primary cultured SGCs were successfully transfected and expressed higher level of Bcl-2 protein compared to the control.The number of survival SGCs transfected with AdEGFP/Bcl-2 was higher than that of AdEGFP transfected cells or control. ThE,re were slightly fewer AdEGFP transfected SGCs than control.CONCLUSION Bcl-2 gene transfected SGCs can prevent these cells from cell death in primary culture.Adenovirus had slightly cytotoxic effects on primary cultured SGCs.Bcl-2 might protect SGCs against the cytotoxic effects of the vector.