AIM:To evaluate the possibility of transferring enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to cultured retinal Müller cells (RMCs) via electroporation and lipofection and to compare the transfection efficiency of electroporation with lipofection in cultured RMCs of rats.·METHODS:First of all,Müller cells were isolated from rat retina,and proliferating cells were expanded in serum-containing medium.Secondly,the third or fourth passage of cells were identified by glutamatespartate transporters (GLAST) and glutamine synthetase (GS).Thirdly,cultured RMCs were transfected either by electroporation or by lipofection using a PEGFP-N1 plasmid.At last,the cells were analyzed 24,48 hours,3,4 days,1 week and 2 weeks after transfection by fluorescence microscopy.·RESULTS:Ninety-five percent cultured RMCs were positively reacted for GLAST and GS.Twenty-four hours after transfection there are only few cells transfected in these two groups.However,the percentage of trans-fected cells was significantly higher when electroporation was used as compared with lipofection in forty-eight hours after transfection.At this time,the transfection efficiency was superior with electroporation (31.0%±2.8%) as compared to lipofection (10.5%±2.4%).And there were significant differences between them (P<0.01).The expression of EGFP could be detected for at most 1 week after lipofection and more than 2 weeks after electroporation.·CONCLUSION:Our results show the feasibility of a gene tranfer into RMCs via electroporation and lipofec-tion.Electroporation is superior to lipofection in RMCs.This study may provide a novel tool for our future targeted gene therapy on RMCs.