Mechanisms involved in gene electrotransfer using high- and low-voltage pulses--an in vitro study. 2009

Masa Kanduser, and Damijan Miklavcic, and Mojca Pavlin
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Trzaska 25, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. masa.kanduser@fe.uni-lj.si

Gene electrotransfer is an established method for gene delivery which uses high-voltage pulses to increase permeability of cell membrane and thus enables transfer of genes. Currently, majority of research is focused on improving in vivo transfection efficiency, while mechanisms involved in gene electrotransfer are not completely understood. In this paper we analyze the mechanisms of gene electrotransfer by using combinations of high-voltage (HV) and low-voltage pulses (LV) in vitro. We applied different combinations of HV and LV pulses to CHO cells and determined the transfection efficiency. We obtained that short HV pulses alone were sufficient to deliver DNA into cells for optimal plasmid concentrations and that LV pulse did not increase transfection efficiency, in contrast to reported studies in vivo. However, for sub-optimal plasmid concentrations combining HV and LV pulses increased transfection rate. Our results suggest that low-voltage pulses increase transfection in conditions where plasmid concentration is low, typically in vivo where mobility of DNA is limited by the extracellular matrix. LV pulses provide additional electrophoretic force which drags DNA toward the cell membrane and consequently increase transfection efficiency, while for sufficiently high concentrations of the plasmid (usually used in vitro) electrophoretic LV pulses do not have an important role.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D003412 Cricetulus A genus of the family Muridae consisting of eleven species. C. migratorius, the grey or Armenian hamster, and C. griseus, the Chinese hamster, are the two species used in biomedical research. Hamsters, Armenian,Hamsters, Chinese,Hamsters, Grey,Armenian Hamster,Armenian Hamsters,Chinese Hamster,Chinese Hamsters,Grey Hamster,Grey Hamsters,Hamster, Armenian,Hamster, Chinese,Hamster, Grey
D004247 DNA A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine). DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D006224 Cricetinae A subfamily in the family MURIDAE, comprising the hamsters. Four of the more common genera are Cricetus, CRICETULUS; MESOCRICETUS; and PHODOPUS. Cricetus,Hamsters,Hamster
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014162 Transfection The uptake of naked or purified DNA by CELLS, usually meaning the process as it occurs in eukaryotic cells. It is analogous to bacterial transformation (TRANSFORMATION, BACTERIAL) and both are routinely employed in GENE TRANSFER TECHNIQUES. Transfections
D016466 CHO Cells CELL LINE derived from the ovary of the Chinese hamster, Cricetulus griseus (CRICETULUS). The species is a favorite for cytogenetic studies because of its small chromosome number. The cell line has provided model systems for the study of genetic alterations in cultured mammalian cells. CHO Cell,Cell, CHO,Cells, CHO
D018274 Electroporation A technique in which electric pulses, in kilovolts per centimeter and of microsecond-to-millisecond duration, cause a loss of the semipermeability of CELL MEMBRANES, thus leading to ion leakage, escape of metabolites, and increased uptake by cells of drugs, molecular probes, and DNA. Depending on the dosage, the formation of openings in the cell membranes caused by the electric pulses may or may not be reversible. Electric Field-Mediated Cell Permeabilization,Irreversible Electroporation,Reversible Electroporation,Electropermeabilisation,Electric Field Mediated Cell Permeabilization,Electroporation, Irreversible,Electroporation, Reversible

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