Transgene expression efficiency from plasmid DNA delivered as a complex with histone H3

Abstract

The intranuclear disposition of plasmid DNA is extremely important for transgene expression. Exogenous histones have been used as carriers of plasmid DNA in histone-mediated gene delivery. In this study, the effects of exogenous histone H3 complexed with plasmid DNA on transgene expression efficiency were examined. The plasmid-histone complexes in various ratios were transfected into HeLa cells by osmotic pressure. Histone H3 suppressed transgene expression in the nucleus in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that the histone-mediated gene delivery is unlikely to be useful, from the viewpoint of the intranuclear disposition