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Enhancing transfection efficiency using polyethylene glycol grafted polyethylenimine and fusogenic peptide

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Abstract

This study presents a new formulation method for improving DNA transfection efficiency using a fusogenic peptide and polyethylene glycol grafted polyethylenimine. Succinimidyl succinate polyethylene glycol (PEG-SSA) was conjugated with polyethylenimine (PEI). PEI is well known for a good endosomal escaping and DNA condensing agent. The positively charged synthetic fusogenic peptide, KALA, was coated on the negatively charged PEG-g-PEI/DNA and PEI/DNA complexes. The KALA/PEI/DNA complexes exhibited aggregation behavior at higher KALA coating amounts with an effective diameter of around 1,000 nm. However, the KALA/PEG-g-PEI/DNA complexes were 100–300 nm in size with a surface zeta-potential (ζ) value of about +20 mV. The conjugated PEG molecules suppressed any KALA-mediated inter-particle aggregation, and thereby improved the transfection efficiency. Consequently, the transfection efficiency of the KALA/PEG-g-PEI/DNA complexes was obtained by utilizing both the fusogenic activity of KALA and the steric repulsion effect of PEC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 305-701, Taejon, Korea

    Haeshin Lee, Ji Hoon Jeong, Je Hoon Lee & Tae Gwan Park

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  1. Haeshin Lee
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  2. Ji Hoon Jeong
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  3. Je Hoon Lee
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  4. Tae Gwan Park
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Correspondence to Tae Gwan Park.

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Lee, H., Jeong, J.H., Lee, J.H. et al. Enhancing transfection efficiency using polyethylene glycol grafted polyethylenimine and fusogenic peptide. Biotechnol. Bioprocess Eng. 6, 269–273 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931988

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931988

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