title: Nanoparticulate architecture of protein-based artificial viruses is supported by protein-DNA interactions.
abstract: AIM & METHODS: We have produced two chimerical peptides of 10.2 kDa, each contain four biologically active domains, which act as building blocks of protein-based nonviral vehicles for gene therapy. In solution, these peptides tend to aggregate as amorphous clusters of more than 1000 nm, while the presence of DNA promotes their architectonic reorganization as mechanically stable nanometric spherical entities of approximately 80 nm that penetrate mammalian cells through arginine-glycine-aspartic acid cell-binding domains and promote significant transgene expression levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The structural analysis of the protein in these hybrid nanoparticles indicates a molecular conformation with predominance of α-helix and the absence of cross-molecular, β-sheet-supported protein interactions. The nanoscale organizing forces generated by DNA-protein interactions can then be observed as a potentially tunable, critical factor in the design of protein-only based artificial viruses for gene therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Domingo-Espín
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Conchillo
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Fruitós
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cedano
authors.forename: Ugutz
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Unzueta
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petegnief
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Montalbán
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Planas
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Daura
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peluffo
authors.forename: Neus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferrer-Miralles
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villaverde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA