Evaluation of nuclear transfer and transcription of plasmid DNA condensed with protamine by microinjection: the use of a nuclear transfer score

FEBS Lett. 2005 Apr 11;579(10):2143-8. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2005.02.071.

Abstract

In the present study, the nuclear delivery of a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-encoding pDNA condensed by protamine was investigated in terms of trans-gene expression after cytoplasmic (E(cyt)) and nuclear (E(nuc)) microinjection. To compare the nuclear transfer process, a novel parameter; the nuclear transfer (NT) score was introduced. The E(cyt) value for protamine/pDNA particles increased in a charge ratio-dependent manner. The calculated NT score showed that this increase results from an enhancement in nuclear transfer efficiency, which was also quantitatively confirmed by a recently developed confocal image-assisted three-dimensionally integrated quantification (CIDIQ) method. Moreover, E(nuc) for protamine/pDNA particles was significantly higher than that for poly-L-lysine/pDNA particles, suggesting that pDNA, when condensed with protamine, is more accessible to intra-nuclear transcription. Collectively, protamine is an excellent DNA condenser, with bi-functional advantages: improvement in nuclear delivery and efficient intra-nuclear transcription.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Nucleus*
  • DNA / administration & dosage*
  • DNA / chemistry
  • Microinjections
  • Plasmids*
  • Protamines / chemistry*
  • Transcription, Genetic*

Substances

  • Protamines
  • DNA