Reducible DNA nanoparticles enhance in vitro gene transfer via an extracellular mechanism.

ABSTRACT: We developed polylysine based DNA nanoparticles (DNA NPs) that contain disulfide linkage in the carrier and demonstrated that this reducible DNA NP enhances in vitro gene transfer via an extracellular mechanism. Polylysine was conjugated through an N-terminal cysteine to a polyethylene glycol chain (PEG) by either a disulfide bond (SS) or a thioether bond (CS), and the resulting PEG-peptide conjugates were used to compact plasmid DNA into reducible SS-DNA NPs or non-reducible CS-DNA NPs with identical physical properties. SS-DNA NPs mediated more than 10-fold higher in vitro gene transfer. Others have suggested that disulfide bonds in synthetic gene carriers undergo cleavage in the reducing environment inside the cell, allowing increased intracellular DNA release. In this study, however, b

SUBMITTER: Sun W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3031909 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature