Kaouass Mohammadi, Beaulieu Raymond, Balicki Danuta
Research Centre and Department of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Canada.
J Control Release. 2006 Jul 20;113(3):245-54. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2006.04.013. Epub 2006 Jun 27.
Protein/peptide-mediated gene delivery has recently emerged as a powerful approach in non-viral gene transfer. In previous studies, we and other groups found that histones efficiently mediate gene transfer (histonefection). Histonefection has been demonstrated to be effective with various members of the histone family. The DNA binding domains and natural nuclear localisation signal sequences make histones excellent candidates for effective gene transfer. In addition, their positive charge promotes binding to anionic molecules and helps them to overcome the negative charge of cells that is an important barrier to cellular penetration. Histonefection appears to have particular promise in cancer gene transfer and therapy.
