Gene transfer mediated by polyarginine requires a formation of big carrier-complex of DNA aggregate.
Cationic peptide, poly-arginine, promotes transfection efficiency under a proper concentration. Using fluorescence microscopy, we observed the structure of the DNA carrier-complex in solution directly. Under low concentration of poly-arginine, small complexes were observed with fluorescence images like a blight light spot. This small complex (sizes are c.a. 1 approximately 2 microns order) had no transfection ability. As the concentration of poly-arginine became high, the complex grew into a big one whose size reached to a degree of 10 microns. Transfection was succeeded under that condition. The relationship between transfection efficiency and higher-order structure of the DNA carrier-complex was discussed.
Emi
N
N
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan. j45973a@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Kidoaki
S
S
Yoshikawa
K
K
Saito
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000737:chemistry*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats
D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D010455:Peptides; C015462:polyarginine