title: Self-Assembled Functional Nanostructure of Plasmid DNA with Ionic Liquid [Bmim][PF₆]: Enhanced Efficiency in Bacterial Gene Transformation.
abstract: The electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate groups of plasmid DNA and the cationic part of hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim][PF6]), initiates spontaneous self-assembly to form the functional nanostructures made up of DNA and ionic liquid (IL). These functional nanostructures were demonstrated as promising synthetic nonviral vectors for the efficient bacterial pGFP gene transformation in cells. In particular, the functional nanostructures that were made up of 1 μL of IL ([Bmim][PF6]) and 1 μg of plasmid DNA can increase the transformation efficiency by 300-400% in microbial systems, without showing any toxicity for E. coli DH5α cells. (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopic analysis revealed that the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged phosphate oxygen and cationic Bmim(+) tends to initiate the self-assembly process. Thermogravimetric analysis of the DNA-IL functional nanostructures showed that these nanostructures consist of ∼16 wt % ionic liquid, which is considered to provide the stability to the plasmid DNA that eventually enhanced the transformation efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarvesh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Soni
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Sampa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Nedaossadat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mirzadeh
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Selvakannan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Suresh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bhargava
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000737:chemistry*; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D010957:Plasmids; D013499:Surface Properties; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C412621:1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate; D007093:Imidazoles; D052578:Ionic Liquids; D004247:DNA