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Philipp J, Dabkowska A, Reiser A, Frank K, Krzysztoń R, Brummer C, Nickel B, Blanchet CE, Sudarsan A, Ibrahim M, Johansson S, Skantze P, Skantze U, Östman S, Johansson M, Henderson N, Elvevold K, Smedsrød B, Schwierz N, Lindfors L, Rädler JO. pH-dependent structural transitions in cationic ionizable lipid mesophases are critical for lipid nanoparticle function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2310491120. [PMID: 38055742 PMCID: PMC10723131 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310491120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are advanced core-shell particles for messenger RNA (mRNA) based therapies that are made of polyethylene glycol (PEG) lipid, distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC), cationic ionizable lipid (CIL), cholesterol (chol), and mRNA. Yet the mechanism of pH-dependent response that is believed to cause endosomal release of LNPs is not well understood. Here, we show that eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) protein expression in the mouse liver mediated by the ionizable lipids DLin-MC3-DMA (MC3), DLin-KC2-DMA (KC2), and DLinDMA (DD) ranks MC3 ≥ KC2 > DD despite similar delivery of mRNA per cell in all cell fractions isolated. We hypothesize that the three CIL-LNPs react differently to pH changes and hence study the structure of CIL/chol bulk phases in water. Using synchrotron X-ray scattering a sequence of ordered CIL/chol mesophases with lowering pH values are observed. These phases show isotropic inverse micellar, cubic Fd3m inverse micellar, inverse hexagonal [Formula: see text] and bicontinuous cubic Pn3m symmetry. If polyadenylic acid, as mRNA surrogate, is added to CIL/chol, excess lipid coexists with a condensed nucleic acid lipid [Formula: see text] phase. The next-neighbor distance in the excess phase shows a discontinuity at the Fd3m inverse micellar to inverse hexagonal [Formula: see text] transition occurring at pH 6 with distinctly larger spacing and hydration for DD vs. MC3 and KC2. In mRNA LNPs, DD showed larger internal spacing, as well as retarded onset and reduced level of DD-LNP-mediated eGFP expression in vitro compared to MC3 and KC2. Our data suggest that the pH-driven Fd3m-[Formula: see text] transition in bulk phases is a hallmark of CIL-specific differences in mRNA LNP efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Philipp
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Aleksandra Dabkowska
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Anita Reiser
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Kilian Frank
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Rafał Krzysztoń
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Christiane Brummer
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Bert Nickel
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
| | - Clement E. Blanchet
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg Outstation c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg22607, Germany
| | - Akhil Sudarsan
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg86159, Germany
| | - Mohd Ibrahim
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg86159, Germany
| | - Svante Johansson
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Pia Skantze
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Urban Skantze
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Sofia Östman
- Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Marie Johansson
- Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Neil Henderson
- Integrated Bioanalysis, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | | | - Bård Smedsrød
- Vascular Biology Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø9019, Norway
| | - Nadine Schwierz
- Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg86159, Germany
| | - Lennart Lindfors
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Mölndal431 83, Sweden
| | - Joachim O. Rädler
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich80539, Germany
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Correa NM, Silber JJ, Riter RE, Levinger NE. Nonaqueous Polar Solvents in Reverse Micelle Systems. Chem Rev 2012; 112:4569-602. [DOI: 10.1021/cr200254q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. Mariano Correa
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Agencia
Postal #3, C.P. X5804BYA Río Cuarto, Argentina
| | - Juana J. Silber
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Agencia
Postal #3, C.P. X5804BYA Río Cuarto, Argentina
| | - Ruth E. Riter
- Department of Chemistry, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia 30030-3770, United
States
| | - Nancy E. Levinger
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872,
United States
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Sucrose monoester micelles size determined by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS). PLoS One 2011; 6:e29278. [PMID: 22216230 PMCID: PMC3247245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the several uses of sucrose detergents, as well as other micelle forming detergents, is the solubilization of different membrane proteins. Accurate knowledge of the micelle properties, including size and shape, are needed to optimize the surfactant conditions for protein purification and membrane characterization. We synthesized sucrose esters having different numbers of methylene subunits on the substituent to correlate the number of methylene groups with the size of the corresponding micelles. We used Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and two photon excitation to determine the translational D of the micelles and calculate their corresponding hydrodynamic radius, Rh. As a fluorescent probe we used LAURDAN (6-dodecanoyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene), a dye highly fluorescent when integrated in the micelle and non-fluorescent in aqueous media. We found a linear correlation between the size of the tail and the hydrodynamic radius of the micelle for the series of detergents measured.
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Kuvichkin VV. The mechanism of a nuclear pore assembly: a molecular biophysics view. J Membr Biol 2011; 241:109-16. [PMID: 21678042 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-011-9367-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2011] [Accepted: 04/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The basic problem of nuclear pore assembly is the big perinuclear space that must be overcome for nuclear membrane fusion and pore creation. Our investigations of ternary complexes: DNA-PC liposomes-Mg²⁺, and modern conceptions of nuclear pore structure allowed us to introduce a new mechanism of nuclear pore assembly. DNA-induced fusion of liposomes (membrane vesicles) with a single-lipid bilayer or two closely located nuclear membranes is considered. After such fusion on the lipid bilayer surface, traces of a complex of ssDNA with lipids were revealed. At fusion of two identical small liposomes (membrane vesicles) < 100 nm in diameter, a "big" liposome (vesicle) with ssDNA on the vesicle equator is formed. ssDNA occurrence on liposome surface gives a biphasic character to the fusion kinetics. The "big" membrane vesicle surrounded by ssDNA is the base of nuclear pore assembly. Its contact with the nuclear envelope leads to fast fusion of half of the vesicles with one nuclear membrane; then ensues a fusion delay when ssDNA reaches the membrane. The next step is to turn inside out the second vesicle half and its fusion to other nuclear membrane. A hole is formed between the two membranes, and nucleoporins begin pore complex assembly around the ssDNA. The surface tension of vesicles and nuclear membranes along with the kinetic energy of a liquid inside a vesicle play the main roles in this process. Special cases of nuclear pore formation are considered: pore formation on both nuclear envelope sides, the difference of pores formed in various cell-cycle phases and linear nuclear pore clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily V Kuvichkin
- Department of Mechanisms Reception, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.
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Ma B, Zhang S, Jiang H, Zhao B, Lv H. Lipoplex morphologies and their influences on transfection efficiency in gene delivery. J Control Release 2007; 123:184-94. [PMID: 17913276 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2007.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2006] [Accepted: 08/09/2007] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer is widely used for their advantages over viral gene transfer because it is non-immunogenic, easy to produce and not oncogenic. The main drawback of the application of cationic lipids is their low transfection efficiency. Many reports about transfection efficiency of cationic lipids have been published in recent years. In this review, the current status and prospects for transfection efficiency of different morphologies of lipoplexes are discussed. High transfection activity will be acquired for H(C)(II) structure when membrane fusion is dominant, but when serum is present L(C)(alpha) lipoplexes show great superiority for their inhibition dissociation by serum during lipoplexes transporting. Increasing DOPE often gains high activity for the H(C)(II) structure promoted by DOPE. High lipofection will be gained from large lipoplexes when endocytosis is dominant, because large particles facilitate membrane contact and fusion. We suggest morphologies of lipoplex should be characterized at two levels, lipoplex size and self-assemble structures of lipoplexes, and understanding these would be very important for scientists to prepare novel cationic lipids and design novel formulations with high transfection efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baichao Ma
- Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China
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