Retroviral vectors to study cell differentiation.

Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer has been contributing to studies in developmental biology, genetics and clinical science. Retroviruses are ideal tools for gene transfer into dividing cells both in vitro and in vivo, which has led to their expanding use in developing systems. In this review we will primarily review their use for ectopic gene expression and lineage analysis to study cell differentiation in murine and chick embryos.