title: Self-assembled Messenger RNA Nanoparticles (mRNA-NPs) for Efficient Gene Expression.
abstract: Although mRNA has several advantages over plasmid DNA when delivered into cells for gene expression, mRNA transfection is a very rare occurrence in gene delivery. This is mainly because of the labile nature of RNA, resulting in a low expression level of the desired protein. In this study, self-assembled mRNA nanoparticles (mRNA-NPs) packed with multiple repeats of mRNA were synthesized to achieve efficient gene expression. This approach required only a one-step process to synthesize particles with a minimal amount of plasmid DNA to produce the RNA transcripts via rolling circle transcription. Moreover, there are no concerns for cytotoxicity which can be caused by chemical condensates because mRNA-NPs are made entirely of mRNA. An examination of the cells transfected with the mRNA-NPs encoding the green fluorescence protein (GFP) confirmed that the mRNA-NPs can be used as a novel platform for effective gene delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyejin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea.
authors.forename: Yongkuk
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015870:Gene Expression; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry*; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins