texas-red and 1-2-dielaidoylphosphatidylethanolamine

We previously showed that mixing transferrin with a cationic liposome prior to the addition of DNA, greatly enhanced the lipofection efficiency. Here, we report characterization of the transfection complexes in formulations prepared with transferrin, lipofectin, and DNA (pCMVlacZ) in various formulations. DNA in all the formulations that contain lipofectin was resistant to DNase I treatment. Transfection experiments performed in Panc 1 cells showed that the standard formulation, which was prepared by adding DNA to a mixture of transferrin and lipofectin, yielded highest transfection efficiency. There was no apparent difference in zeta potential among these formulations, but the most efficient formulation contained complexes with a mean diameter of three to four times that of liposome and the complexes in other gene delivery formulations. Transmission electron microscopic examination of the standard transfection complexes formulated using gold-labeled transferrin showed extended circular DNA decorated with transferrin as compared to extensively condensed DNA found in lipofectin-DNA complexes and heterogeneous structures in other formulations. By confocal microscopy, DNA and transferrin were found to colocalize at the perinuclear space and in the nucleus, suggesting cotransportation intracellularly, including nuclear transport. We propose that transferrin enhances the transfection efficiency of the standard lipofection formulation by preventing DNA condensation, and facilitating endocytosis and nuclear targeting.

Topics: Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; beta-Galactosidase; Cell Nucleus; Deoxyribonuclease I; DNA; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; Gene Transfer Techniques; Gold; Humans; Microscopy, Confocal; Microscopy, Electron; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Plasmids; Protein Transport; Temperature; Time Factors; Transfection; Transferrin; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Xanthenes

Liposomes with mean diameters between 45 and 73 nm have been prepared from 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) at pH 8.0; and a new methodology is described which allows one to quantitatively follow the phospholipase D-catalyzed transformation of POPC to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidic acid and free choline. The method does not require a special sample preparation; it takes advantage of the fact that the chemical shift of the protons of the three methyl groups in free choline differs from the chemical shift of the choline methyl protons in POPC. Measurements have been carried out under different experimental configurations and they have been paralleled by electron and light microscopy studies, partially using a fluorescently labeled phospholipid. It has been found that for a fixed concentration of the Ca2+-independent phospholipase D from Streptomyces sp. AA 586 the initial velocity and the reaction yields depend on the size of the vesicles. The smaller the vesicles, the higher the yields and the lower the initial rates. Furthermore, the size of the liposomes does not change during hydrolysis of the external POPC layer.

Topics: Choline; Fluorescent Dyes; Hydrolysis; Kinetics; Liposomes; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microscopy, Electron; Phosphatidic Acids; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Phospholipase D; Scattering, Radiation; Streptomyces; Time Factors; Xanthenes