Digging into the biophysical features of cell membranes with lipid-DNA conjugates

DNA-modulated dimerization and oligomerization of cell membrane receptors

DNA-based nanostructures and nanodevices have recently been employed for a broad range of applications in modulating the assemblies and interaction patterns of different cell membrane receptors. These versatile nanodevices can be rationally designed with modular structures, easily programmed and tweaked such that they may act as smart chemical biology and cell biology tools to reveal insights into complicated cellular signaling processes. Their outstanding in vitro and cellular features have also begun to be further validated for some in vivo applications and demonstrated their great biomedical potential. In this review, we will highlight some key current advances in the molecular engineering and biological applications of DNA-based functional nanodevices, with a focus on how these tools have been used to respond and modulate membrane receptor dimerizations and/or oligomerizations, as a way to control cellular signaling processes. Some current challenges and future directions to further develop and apply these DNA nanodevices will also be discussed.

Engineered Cell Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles: New Strategies in Glioma Targeted Therapy and Immune Modulation

Gliomas, the most prevalent primary brain tumors, pose considerable challenges due to their heterogeneity, intricate tumor microenvironment (TME), and blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restrict the effectiveness of traditional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy. This review provides an overview of engineered cell membrane technologies in glioma therapy, with a specific emphasis on targeted drug delivery and modulation of the immune microenvironment. This study investigates the progress in engineered cell membranes, encompassing physical, chemical, and genetic alterations, to improve drug delivery across the BBB and effectively target gliomas. The examination focuses on the interaction of engineered cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (ECM-NPs) with the TME in gliomas, emphasizing their potential to modulate glioma cell behavior and TME to enhance therapeutic efficacy. The review further explores the involvement of ECM-NPs in immunomodulation techniques, highlighting their impact on immune reactions. While facing obstacles related to membrane stability and manufacturing scalability, the review outlines forthcoming research directions focused on enhancing membrane performance. This review underscores the promise of ECM-NPs in surpassing conventional therapeutic constraints, proposing novel approaches for efficacious glioma treatment.

Mucin-targeting-aptamer functionalized liposomes for delivery of cyclosporin A for dry eye diseases

Traditional eye drops are convenient to use; however, their effectiveness is limited by their poor retention time and bioavailability in the eyes due to ocular barriers. Therefore, strategies to enhance ocular drug delivery are required. Herein, we constructed a mucin-1 aptamer-functionalized liposome and loaded it with cyclosporin A, a common ocular drug in eye drops used to treat dry eye diseases (DED). Drug encapsulation slightly reduced the liposome size without changing the surface potential of liposomes. Approximately 90% of the cholesterol-modified aptamers were inserted to the liposomes. We evaluated the cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory effects, cell permeability regulation, and retention time of liposomes in human corneal epithelial cells under dry eye conditions. These results suggest that the aptamer-functionalized liposomes are more efficient as nanocarriers than non-functionalized liposomes and drug-free liposomes. They restore inflammation levels by 1-fold and remain in the cells for up to 24 h. An in vivo study was also performed in a rat DED model, which demonstrated the efficacy of aptamer-functionalized liposomes in restoring tear production and corneal integrity. The present study demonstrated the capability of aptamer-functionalized liposomes in the delivery of ocular drugs for the management of ocular diseases.

Advanced DNA Zipper Probes for Detecting Cell Membrane Lipid Domains

The cell membrane is a complex mixture of lipids, proteins, and other components. By forming dynamic lipid domains, different membrane molecules can selectively interact with each other to control cell signaling. Herein, we report several new types of lipid-DNA conjugates, termed as "DNA zippers", which can be used to measure cell membrane dynamic interactions and the formation of lipid domains. Dependent on the choice of lipid moieties, cholesterol- and sphingomyelin-conjugated DNA zippers specifically locate in and detect membrane lipid-ordered domains, while in contrast, a tocopherol-DNA zipper can be applied for the selective imaging of lipid-disordered phases. These versatile and programmable probes can be further engineered into membrane competition assays to simultaneously detect multiple types of membrane dynamic interactions. These DNA zipper probes can be broadly used to study the correlation between lipid domains and various cellular processes, such as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.