title: Albumin Incorporation in Polyethylenimine-DNA Polyplexes Influences Transfection Efficiency.
abstract: Polyplexes of plasmid with synthetic polycationic vectors, such as linear polyethylenimine (LPEI), have been widely investigated. While much is known about the role of physicochemical characterization of the polycation in transfection, the role of serum components in the transfection using LPEI-polyplexes needs further investigation. In this study, bovine serum albumin was incorporated into the polyplex, either through precomplexation with circular DNA coding for green fluorescent protein prior to polyplex formation with LPEI or after formation of the polyplex. The transfection efficiency of these ternary polyplexes was then studied in HeLa cells. It was observed that the order of incorporation of albumin into polyplexes has a distinct effect on its uptake and transfection efficiency. Through colocalization and albumin depletion studies, we conclude that albumin plays a role in both the translocation of the complex into the cell and its unpackaging.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.|BIOSS-Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marie-Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Syga
authors.affiliation: Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.|Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, University of Eastern Piedmont , 28100, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicolì
authors.affiliation: Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.affiliation: Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.|BIOSS-Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg , 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: V Prasad
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Shastri
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002417:Cattle; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000737:chemistry*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D011094:Polyethyleneimine; D004247:DNA