CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Feb 8;9(5):4425-4432. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b11536. Epub 2017 Jan 24.
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.
高效的基因转染和适当的低细胞毒性是非病毒载体基因转染系统的主要目标。此外，为了观察和解释机制，还期望跟踪基因转染过程。受病毒结构优化基因传递的启发，我们设计了一种小分子基因载体（TR4），它具有聚集诱导发射特性，由含有四个精氨酸残基的肽与四苯乙烯（TPE）和一个亲脂性尾巴封端。这种新型载体可以与质粒 DNA 自组装形成溶液中的纳米纤维，具有低细胞毒性、高稳定性和高转染效率。pDNA@TR4 复合物能够转染多种不同的细胞系，包括干细胞。自组装过程诱导 TPE 发出明亮的荧光，这使得通过共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（CLSM）可以观察到纳米纤维。这使我们能够跟踪基因传递过程。
