Cationic Liposome-DNA Complexes: Polymorphism versus Transfection Activity

Complexes formed during interaction of cationic liposomes with polynucleotides such as DNA (CLDC) self-assemble into a variety of polymorphic structures. They display bilayer (FIG. 1-5) and non-bilayer structures (FIG. 6). We have recorded bilayer structures such as spaghetti/meatball-type structures (FIG. I), map-pins (FIG. 2) spherical particles and invaginated liposomes (FIG. 3, 4) and oligolamellar structures (FIG. 5). The non-bilayer lipid arrangements include honeycombtype structure (Hn, FIG. 6) and cubic phase lipids.We have chosen mainly freeze-fracture electron microscopy (FIG. 1-3, 5,6) but also cryo-electron microscopy (FIG.4) for recording polymorphic structures, and for studying factors and conditions triggering the formation and stabilization of specific structure types. Furthermore, we took microscopically snapshots of the interaction of specific structure types with cultured cells. In order to find out the “active” structure in terms of transfection, we investigated the transfection activity both in vivo and in vitro of CLDC, and studied in parallel their morphology in serum as well as in cell medium.