ELECTROSTATIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO DNA/MEMBRANE INTERACTIONS

静电对 DNA/膜相互作用的贡献

• 批准号: 2861473
• 负责人: REBECCA E MENES
• 金额: $ 3.67万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-08-05 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2861473
• 关键词: DNA; biophysics; chemical models; computer simulation; intermolecular interaction; ionic bond; lipid bilayer membrane; liposomes; molecular assembly /self assembly; nuclear membrane; thermodynamics; transfection; transfection /expression vector

We propose to study, theoretically, the contribution of electrostatics to DNA-membrane interactions. The motivation for this work comes from a large experimental effort focused on developing improved, nonviral vectors for gene therapy, by forming cationic liposome-DNA complexes. Experiments indicate that electrostatics determine the complexes' structures and thereby the routes into the nucleus. We plan to study the electrostatic interactions in these systems and specifically address: 1) their relevance to the self-assembled structures; 2) the residual fields which govern the entry into the cell and nucleus; 3) the interplay with membrane and DNA curvature elasticity.

我们建议从理论上研究静电对 DNA 膜相互作用的贡献。 这项工作的动机来自于一项大型实验工作，重点是通过形成阳离子脂质体-DNA 复合物来开发用于基因治疗的改良非病毒载体。 实验表明，静电决定了复合物的结构，从而决定了进入细胞核的路线。 我们计划研究这些系统中的静电相互作用，并具体解决：1）它们与自组装结构的相关性； 2）控制进入细胞和细胞核的残余场； 3）膜和DNA曲率弹性的相互作用。