title: Virus-Inspired Self-Assembled Nanofibers with Aggregation-Induced Emission for Highly Efficient and Visible Gene Delivery.
abstract: High-efficiency gene transfer and suitably low cytotoxicity are the main goals of gene transfection systems based on nonviral vectors. In addition, it is desirable to track the gene transfer process in order to observe and explain the mechanism. Herein, inspired by viral structures that are optimized for gene delivery, we designed a small-molecule gene vector (TR4) with aggregation-induced emission properties by capping a peptide containing four arginine residues with tetraphenylethene (TPE) and a lipophilic tail. This novel vector can self-assemble with plasmid DNA to form nanofibers in solution with low cytotoxicity, high stability, and high transfection efficiency. pDNA@TR4 complexes were able to transfect a variety of different cell lines, including stem cells. The self-assembly process induces bright fluorescence from TPE, which makes the nanofibers visible by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). This allows us for the tracking of the gene delivery process.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Chunqiu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Tingbin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Shubin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3709-072X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Ningqiang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry & Environmental Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University , Baoding, 071002, China.
authors.forename: Jinchao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Howard University , Washington, DC 20060, United States.|College of Science and Engineering, Fu Jen Catholic University , Taipei 24205, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xing-Jie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3806-6008
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D005822:Genetic Vectors; D057139:Nanofibers; D010957:Plasmids; D014162:Transfection
keywords: gene delivery; nanofibers; peptide; self-indicating; transfection