A transfection method for short interfering RNA with the lipid-like self-assembling nanotube, A6K

The aim of the present study was to develop a novel transfection method for short interfering RNA (siRNA). A nanotube with surfactant activity, A6K, consisting of six alanine residues and a hydrophilic head, lysine, was compared to the conventional cationic transfectant reagents siFECTOR and Lipofectamine 2000. Cytotoxicity for the human glioblastoma cell lines U87MG, A172, and T98G was examined with the MTS assay. Transfection efficiency was analyzed with FITC-labeled siRNA targeting matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 mRNA by fluorescent activity on microscopy. The ultrastructure of A6K was evaluated by electron microscopy. The level of cytotoxicity associated with A6K in the U87MG cells was significantly lower than with siFECTOR and Lipofectamine 2000. Transfection efficiency for siRNA was increased in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. The relative expression of MMP-2 mRNA to beta-actin was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by real-time RT-PCR analysis. The ultrastructure of the A6K was transformed to micelle formation when mixed with the siRNA. The lipid-like self-assembling peptide, A6K, has genes in the micelle associated with the hydrophilic tail. This transfection method is a novel and stable technique with lower cytotoxicity than the current standard methods.