Lipofectamine or Lipofectamine 2000 is a common

transfection Transfection is the process of deliberately introducing naked or purified nucleic acids into eukaryotic cells. It may also refer to other methods and cell types, although other terms are often preferred: "transformation" is typically used to desc ...

reagent In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

, produced and sold by

Invitrogen Invitrogen is one of several brands under the Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation. The product line includes various subbrands of biotechnology products, such as machines and consumables for polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcription, clo ...

, used in

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

and

cellular biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

. Invitrogen (2012). "Lipofectamine 2000 Reagent.

/ref> It is used to increase the transfection efficiency of

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

(including

mRNA In molecular biology, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of Protein biosynthesis, synthesizing a protein. mRNA is ...

and siRNA) or

plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; how ...

DNA into

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...

cell culture Cell culture or tissue culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside of their natural environment. The term "tissue culture" was coined by American pathologist Montrose Thomas Burrows. This te ...

s by lipofection. Lipofectamine contains lipid subunits that can form

liposomes A liposome is a small artificial Vesicle (biology and chemistry), vesicle, spherical in shape, having at least one lipid bilayer. Due to their hydrophobicity and/or hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, particle size and many other properties, lipo ...

in an aqueous environment, which entrap the transfection payload, e.g. DNA plasmids. Lipofectamine consists of a 3:1 mixture of DOSPA (2,3‐dioleoyloxy‐N‐ (sperminecarboxamido)ethyl��N,N‐dimethyl‐1‐propaniminium trifluoroacetate) and DOPE,Yang, J., Huang, L. Time-dependent maturation of cationic liposome–DNA complex for serum resistance. Gene Ther 5, 380–387 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gt.3300596 which complexes with negatively charged

nucleic acid Nucleic acids are biopolymers, macromolecules, essential to all known forms of life. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomers made of three components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main cl ...

molecules to allow them to overcome the electrostatic repulsion of the cell membrane. Lipofectamine's cationic lipid molecules are formulated with a neutral co-lipid (helper lipid). The DNA-containing liposomes (positively charged on their surface) can fuse with the negatively charged

plasma membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (t ...

of living cells, due to the neutral co-lipid mediating fusion of the liposome with the cell membrane, allowing nucleic acid cargo molecules to cross into the cytoplasm for replication or expression. In order for a cell to express a

transgene A transgene is a gene that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques, from one organism to another. The introduction of a transgene, in a process known as transgenesis, has the potential to change the ...

, the nucleic acid must reach the nucleus of the cell to begin

transcription Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including: Genetics * Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, the fir ...

. However, the transfected genetic material may never reach the nucleus in the first place, instead being disrupted somewhere along the delivery process. In dividing cells, the material may reach the nucleus by being trapped in the reassembling nuclear envelope following mitosis. But also in non-dividing cells, research has shown that Lipofectamine improves the efficiency of transfection, which suggests that it additionally helps the transfected genetic material penetrate the intact nuclear envelope. This method of transfection was invented by Dr. Yongliang Chu.

References

{{reflist Molecular biology Gene delivery US Active US7479573B2, Yongliang Chu; Malek Masoud & Gulliat Gebeyehu, "Transfection reagents", assigned to Life Technologies Corp and Invitrogen Group

See also

References