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Ušaj M, Pavlin M, Kandušer M. Feasibility Study for the Use of Gene Electrotransfer and Cell Electrofusion as a Single-Step Technique for the Generation of Activated Cancer Cell Vaccines. J Membr Biol 2024:10.1007/s00232-024-00320-5. [PMID: 39133276 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-024-00320-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies hold great potential for cancer immunotherapy. This approach is based on manipulation of dendritic cells to activate immune system against specific cancer antigens. For the development of an effective cell vaccine platform, gene transfer, and cell fusion have been used for modification of dendritic or tumor cells to express immune (co)stimulatory signals and to load dendritic cells with tumor antigens. Both, gene transfer and cell fusion can be achieved by single technique, a cell membrane electroporation. The cell membrane exposed to external electric field becomes temporarily permeable, enabling introduction of genetic material, and also fusogenic, enabling the fusion of cells in the close contact. We tested the feasability of combining gene electrotransfer and electrofusion into a single-step technique and evaluated the effects of electroporation buffer, pulse parameters, and cell membrane fluidity for single or combined method of gene delivery or cell fusdion. We determined the percentage of fused cells expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP) in a murine cell model of melanoma B16F1, cell line used in our previous studies. Our results suggest that gene electrotransfer and cell electrofusion can be applied in a single step. The percentage of viable hybrid cells expressing GFP depends on electric pulse parameters and the composition of the electroporation buffer. Furthermore, our results suggest that cell membrane fluidity is not related to the efficiency of the gene electrotransfer and electrofusion. The protocol is compatible with microfluidic devices, however further optimization of electric pulse parameters and buffers is still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Ušaj
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnaeus University, 391 82, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Mojca Pavlin
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biophysics, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov Trg 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Group for Nano and Biotechnological Applications, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maša Kandušer
- Institute for Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Muralidharan A, Boukany PE. Electrotransfer for nucleic acid and protein delivery. Trends Biotechnol 2024; 42:780-798. [PMID: 38102019 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrotransfer of nucleic acids and proteins has become crucial in biotechnology for gene augmentation and genome editing. This review explores the applications of electrotransfer in both ex vivo and in vivo scenarios, emphasizing biomedical uses. We provide insights into completed clinical trials and successful instances of nucleic acid and protein electrotransfer into therapeutically relevant cells such as immune cells and stem and progenitor cells. In addition, we delve into emerging areas of electrotransfer where nanotechnology and deep learning techniques overcome the limitations of traditional electroporation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aswin Muralidharan
- Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands; Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Pouyan E Boukany
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
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Zhu X, Shi Z, Mao Y, Lächelt U, Huang R. Cell Membrane Perforation: Patterns, Mechanisms and Functions. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2310605. [PMID: 38344881 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202310605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Cell membrane is crucial for the cellular activities, and any disruption to it may affect the cells. It is demonstrated that cell membrane perforation is associated with some biological processes like programmed cell death (PCD) and infection of pathogens. Specific developments make it a promising technique to perforate the cell membrane controllably and precisely. The pores on the cell membrane provide direct pathways for the entry and exit of substances, and can also cause cell death, which means reasonable utilization of cell membrane perforation is able to assist intracellular delivery, eliminate diseased or cancerous cells, and bring about other benefits. This review classifies the patterns of cell membrane perforation based on the mechanisms into 1) physical patterns, 2) biological patterns, and 3) chemical patterns, introduces the characterization methods and then summarizes the functions according to the characteristics of reversible and irreversible pores, with the aim of providing a comprehensive summary of the knowledge related to cell membrane perforation and enlightening broad applications in biomedical science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery (Ministry of Education), Huashan Hospital, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Zhifeng Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Ulrich Lächelt
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Rongqin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery (Ministry of Education), Huashan Hospital, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China
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Jiang Z, Shi H, Tang X, Qin J. Recent advances in droplet microfluidics for single-cell analysis. Trends Analyt Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.116932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Tsurusaki Y, Watanabe Y, Numano R, Shibata T, Kurita H. Influence of DNA characteristics on cell membrane damage stimulated by electrical short-circuiting via a low-conductive aqueous droplet in dielectric oil. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285444. [PMID: 37146039 PMCID: PMC10162562 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated gene electrotransfer using electrical short-circuiting via a cell suspension droplet in dielectric oil. An aqueous droplet of a few microliters placed between a pair of electrodes can be deformed by an intense DC electric field depending on the electric field intensity. When a droplet containing suspended cells and plasmid DNA elongates during deformation and connects the electrodes, the resulting short circuit can cause successful gene electrotransfection into various mammalian cells. We also investigated the influence of the electroporation medium on membrane permeabilization and the mechanisms of gene electrotransfection using short-circuiting via an aqueous droplet. One aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the conductivity of electroporation medium on gene electrotransfer stimulated by short-circuiting. It was found that low-conductivity medium with plasmid DNA resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability compared to the high-conductivity medium with plasmid DNA. Therefore, we demonstrated the influence of exogenous DNA on membrane damage stimulated by droplet electroporation using a low-conductivity medium. Thus, electrical stimulation with the combination of plasmid DNA and the low-conductivity medium resulted in tremendous membrane damage. Linearized plasmid DNA stimulated more significant membrane damage than circular DNA. However, the size of linear DNA did not influence the efflux of small intracellular molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshino Tsurusaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yuki Watanabe
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
| | - Rika Numano
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
- The Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takayuki Shibata
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Kurita
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
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Vindiš T, Blažič A, Khayyat D, Potočnik T, Sachdev S, Rems L. Gene Electrotransfer into Mammalian Cells Using Commercial Cell Culture Inserts with Porous Substrate. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091959. [PMID: 36145709 PMCID: PMC9506064 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene electrotransfer is one of the main non-viral methods for intracellular delivery of plasmid DNA, wherein pulsed electric fields are used to transiently permeabilize the cell membrane, allowing enhanced transmembrane transport. By localizing the electric field over small portions of the cell membrane using nanostructured substrates, it is possible to increase considerably the gene electrotransfer efficiency while preserving cell viability. In this study, we expand the frontier of localized electroporation by designing an electrotransfer approach based on commercially available cell culture inserts with polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) porous substrate. We first use multiscale numerical modeling to determine the pulse parameters, substrate pore size, and other factors that are expected to result in successful gene electrotransfer. Based on the numerical results, we design a simple device combining an insert with substrate containing pores with 0.4 µm or 1.0 µm diameter, a multiwell plate, and a pair of wire electrodes. We test the device in three mammalian cell lines and obtain transfection efficiencies similar to those achieved with conventional bulk electroporation, but at better cell viability and with low-voltage pulses that do not require the use of expensive electroporators. Our combined theoretical and experimental analysis calls for further systematic studies that will investigate the influence of substrate pore size and porosity on gene electrotransfer efficiency and cell viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Vindiš
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anja Blažič
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Diaa Khayyat
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Institute for Multiphase Processes, Leibniz University Hannover, An der Universität 1, 30823 Garbsen, Germany
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, Stadtfelddamm 34, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Tjaša Potočnik
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Shaurya Sachdev
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lea Rems
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Correspondence:
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