Improvement of gene transfer to cervical cancer cell lines using non-viralagents

Virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of recombinant capsid protein L1 and L 2 of human papillomavirus type 16 were conjugated with polylysine (PL) and gene transfer was performed using VLP-PL conjugates to allow the expression of targeted gene. When HeLa cells were incubated with VLP-PL conjugate cou pled with plasmid cytomegalovirus beta -galactosidase (pCMV beta -gal), abo ut 10% of cells were transfected and demonstrated beta -galactosidase activ ity. Hence chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity was also expressed si gnificantly in VLP-PL-plasmid simian virus 2 chloramphenicol acetyl transfe rase (pSV2CAT)-transfected cells, VLP-PL conjugate was tested whether it co uld transfer a tumor suppressor gene, pCMVp53, to HeLa cells and the exogen ously provided p53 gene complexed to VLP-PL conjugate was detected from HeL a cells by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Interestingly, additio nal increase of transfection efficiency was demonstrated in the presence of poloxamer 407 when C-33A cells were transfected with VLP-PL-pCMV beta -gal complex. The result support the notion that VLP-PL conjugate may be a prom ising vector to transfer genetic materials into cancer cells and poloxamer 407 can be used for enhancing the transfection efficiency of VLP-PL conjuga te. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.