Abstract
The drug delivery system described here is based on the properties of the capsoid or capsid-like structure resulting from the assembly of polyoma virus capsid protein VP1 expressed in Escherichia coli. The capsid protein VP1 was expressed as a fusion protein with a completely removable N-terminal His6 affinity tag. The pentameric morphology of the recombinant VP1 protein was confirmed by electron microscopy after affinity chromatography and factor Xa cleavage under conditions of low ionic strength. The self-assembly of VP1 capsoids can be induced from purified VP1 pentamers by increasing the ionic strength with (NH4)2SO4. These VP1 capsoid particles were packed in vitro with anti-sense oligonucleotides and plasmid DNA. The loading with DNA was pH-dependent. We observed the highest efficiency at pH 5. DNase I treatment of particles with encapsidated material showed that 37-55% of the bound oligonucleotides and fragments of 1.5-1.8 kb double-stranded DNA were protected against degradation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.