Efficient Gene Transfection through Inhibition of β-Sheet (Amyloid Fiber) Formation of a Short Amphiphilic Peptide by Gold Nanoparticles

Poulami Jana; Krishnananda Samanta; Sandra Bäcker; Elio Zellermann; Shirley Knauer; Carsten Schmuck

doi:10.1002/anie.201700713

Efficient Gene Transfection through Inhibition of β-Sheet (Amyloid Fiber) Formation of a Short Amphiphilic Peptide by Gold Nanoparticles

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2017 Jul 3;56(28):8083-8088. doi: 10.1002/anie.201700713. Epub 2017 Apr 10.

Authors

Poulami Jana¹, Krishnananda Samanta¹, Sandra Bäcker², Elio Zellermann¹, Shirley Knauer², Carsten Schmuck¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Organic Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117, Essen, Germany.
² Institute for Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117, Essen, Germany.

PMID: 28394449
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201700713

Abstract

The effect of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the secondary structure of an artificial β-sheet-forming cationic peptide has been studied. The AuNPs inhibited β-sheet formation and led to fragmented fibrils and spherical oligomers with assembled AuNPs on their surface. Besides this structural change, the functional properties of the peptide are also different. Whereas the peptide was unable to act as a vector for gene delivery, formation of a complex with AuNPs allowed successful gene delivery into cells.

Keywords: amyloid fibers; beta sheet formation; gene delivery; nanoparticles; self-assembly.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't