title: Plasmid DNA delivery by arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides containing unnatural amino acids.
abstract: Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been developed as drug, protein, and gene delivery tools. In the present study, arginine (Arg)-rich CPPs containing unnatural amino acids were designed to deliver plasmid DNA (pDNA). The transfection ability of one of the Arg-rich CPPs examined here was more effective than that of the Arg nonapeptide, which is the most frequently used CPP. The transfection efficiencies of Arg-rich CPPs increased with longer post-incubation times and were significantly higher at 48-h and 72-h post-incubation than that of the commercially available transfection reagent TurboFect. These Arg-rich CPPs were complexed with pDNA for a long time in cells and effectively escaped from the late endosomes/lysosomes into the cytoplasm. These results will be helpful for designing novel CPPs for pDNA delivery.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misawa
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Koyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.affiliation: Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan. Electronic address: demizu@nihs.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Demizu
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan. Electronic address: moba@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oba
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides; D004247:DNA; D001120:Arginine
keywords: Arginine; Cell-penetrating peptide; Gene transfer; Plasmid DNA delivery; Unnatural amino acid