Different roles of cell surface and exogenous glycosaminoglycans in controlling gene delivery by arginine-rich peptides with varied distribution of arginines.

The role of cell surface and exogenous glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in DNA delivery by cationic peptides is controlled to a large extent by the peptide chemistry and the nature of its complex with DNA. We have previously shown that complexes formed by arginine homopeptides with DNA adopt a GAG-independent cellular internalization mechanism and show enhanced gene delivery in presence of exogenous GAGs. In contrast, lysine complexes gain cellular entry primarily by a GAG-dependent pathway and are destabilized by exogenous GAGs. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the factors governing the role of cell surface and soluble glycosaminoglycans in DNA delivery by sequences of arginine-rich peptides with altered arginine distributions (compared to homopeptide). Using peptides with clustered arginines which constitute known heparin-binding motifs and a control peptide with arginines alternating with alanines, we show that complexes formed by these peptides do not require cell surface GAGs for cellular uptake and DNA delivery. However, the charge distribution and the spacing of arginine residues affects DNA delivery efficiency of these peptides in presence of soluble GAGs, since these peptides show only a marginal increase in transfection in presence of exogenous GAGs unlike that observed with arginine homopeptides. Our results indicate that presence of arginine by itself drives these peptides to a cell surface GAG-independent route of entry to efficiently deliver functional DNA into cells in vitro. However, the inherent stability of the complexes differ when the distribution of arginines in the peptides is altered, thereby modulating its interaction with exogenous GAGs.