Construction and validation of lentiviral vector carrying rat neuronal nitric oxide synthase in vitro and in vivo

► We developed a lentiviral vector with human cytomegalovirus promoter to express nNOS. ► Lenti-nNOS infection up-regulates the expression of nNOS in vitro and in vivo. ► Lenti-nNOS infection showed time dependent increase in expression of nNOS. ► Lenti-nNOS can be used as a therapy for diseases known to have impaired nNOS expression.