Phospholipid membrane permeability of peptide nucleic acid

• Phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) as membrane models have been used to study the penetration properties of peptide nucleic acid (PNA), a new DNA analog in which the nucleobases are attached to a pseudo-peptide backbone, The liposomes were characterised by carboxyfluorescein efflux, light-scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The liposome structure was found not to be affected by the incorporation of PNA or an oligonucleotide. Two 10-mer fluorescein-labelled PNAs were found to have low efflux rates (half-times of 5.5 and 11 days), comparable to a 10-mer oligonucleotide (half-time of 7 days). We conclude that passive diffusion of unmodified PNA is not an effective way of transport into biological cells.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biokemi och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

oligonucleotide analogs

pna

thymine

microscopy

dna

antisense

vesicles

liposome

fluorescence

peptide nucleic acid

recognition

cryogenic transmission electron

Publikations- och innehållstyp

art (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)