Binding and clustering of glycosaminoglycans: a common property of mono- and multivalent cell-penetrating compounds.

ABSTRACT: Recent observations in cell culture provide evidence that negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) at the surface of biological cells bind cationic cell-penetrating compounds (CPCs) and cluster during CPC binding, thereby contributing to their endocytotic uptake. The GAG binding and clustering occur in the low-micromolar concentration range and suggest a tight interaction between GAGs and CPCs, although the relation between binding affinity and specificity of this interaction remains to be investigated. We therefore measured the GAG binding and clustering of various mono- and multivalent CPCs such as DNA transfection vectors (polyethylenimine; 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane), amino acid homopolymers (oligoarginine; oligolysine), and cell-penetrating peptides (Penetratin; HIV-

SUBMITTER: Ziegler A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2257919 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature