Targeted delivery is a promising way to improve the safety and efficiency of siRNA delivery. We show that a DNA aptamer could be used to deliver siRNA into CD4(+) T cells specifically. The DNA aptamer was obtained from the conversion of a reported RNA aptamer that binds to CD4 protein on the surface of T cells. It was covalently conjugated to the sense strand of the siRNA targeting HIV-1 protease (HIV-PR). The resulting DNA aptamer-siRNA chimera could specifically enter into CD4(+) T cells and efficiently knock down the expression of exogenous HIV-PR gene. This study provides the first evidence that the DNA aptamer with intrinsic stability has a greater potential to be used for siRNA delivery.
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