Phase-Separated Liposomes Enhance the Efficiency of Macromolecular Delivery to the Cellular Cytoplasm.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

From viruses to organelles, fusion of biological membranes is used by diverse biological systems to deliver macromolecules across membrane barriers. Membrane fusion is also a potentially efficient mechanism for the delivery of macromolecular therapeutics to the cellular cytoplasm. However, a key shortcoming of existing fusogenic liposomal systems is that they are inefficient, requiring a high concentration of fusion-promoting lipids in order to cross cellular membrane barriers.

Objectives

Toward addressing this limitation, our experiments explore the extent to which membrane fusion can be amplified by using the process of lipid membrane phase separation to concentrate fusion-promoting lipids within distinct regions of the membrane surface.

Methods

We used

SUBMITTER: Imam ZI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5665383 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature