Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The minicircle (MC), composed of eukaryotic sequences only, is an interesting approach to increase the safety and efficiency of plasmid-based vectors for gene therapy. In this paper, we investigate micro-MC (miMC) vectors encoding small regulatory RNA. We use a construct encoding a splice-correcting U7 small nuclear RNA, which results in a vector of 650 base pairs (bp), as compared to a conventional 3600 bp plasmid carrying the same expression cassette. Furthermore, we construct miMCs of varying sizes carrying different number of these cassettes. This allows us to evaluate how size influences production, super-coiling, stability and efficiency of the vector. We characterize coiling morphology by atomic force microscopy and measure the resistance to shearing forces caused by an injector device, the Biojector. We compare the behavior of miMCs and plasmids in vitro using lipofection and electroporation, as well as in vivo in mice. We here show that when the size of the miMC is reduced, the formation of dimers and trimers increases. There seems to be a lower size limit for efficient expression. We demonstrate that miMCs are more robust than plasmids when exposed to shearing forces, and that they show extended expression in vivo.Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids (2014); doi:10.1038/mtna.2013.67.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/mtna.2013.67

Type

Journal article

Journal

Mol Ther Nucleic Acids

Publication Date

07/01/2014

Volume

2