Features of the pGIPZ™ lentiviral vector (Figure 2-3, Table 1) that make it a versatile tool for RNAi studies include:

• Ability to perform transfections or transductions using the replication incompetent lentivirus (Shimada, et al. 1995)
• TurboGFP and shRNAmir are part of a bicistronic transcript allowing the visual marking of shRNAmir expressing cells
• Amenable to in vitro and in vivo applications
• Puromycin drug resistance marker for selecting stable cell lines
• Molecular barcodes enable multiplexed screening in pools