title: Bioengineered silk gene delivery system for nuclear targeting.
abstract: Gene delivery research has gained momentum with the use of lipophilic vectors that mimic viral systems to increase transfection efficiency. Maintaining cell viability with these systems remains a major challenge. Therefore, biocompatible biopolymers that are designed by combining non-immunological viral mimicking components with suitable carrier are explored to address these limitations. In the present study, dragline silk recombinant proteins are modified with DNA condensing units and the proton sponge endosomal escape pathway is utilized for enhanced delivery. Transfection efficiency in a COS-7 cell line is enhanced compared to lipofectamine and polyethyleneimine (PEI), as is cell viability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, 62 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors.forename: Sezin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yigit
authors.forename: Olena
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tokareva
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varone
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Georgakoudi
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D047011:Silk
keywords: bioengineered silk; endosomal escape; gene delivery; nuclear localization