BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Improvement of efficiency of gene transfer to endothelium could be useful for several applications. We tested the hypothesis that cationic nonviral molecules augment adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to blood vessels, perhaps by alteration of the surface charge of adenovirus and facilitation of binding to endothelium. METHODS Carotid arteries from rabbits were incubated...

Engineered polymer films are of significant importance in the field of biomedicine. Poly(dopamine) (PDA) is becoming more and more a key player in this context. Herein, we deposited mixed films consisting of PDA and poly(L-lysine) (PLL) of different molecular weights. The coatings were characterized by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray p...

A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCMD) has been used to monitor the adsorption and structure of lysozyme monolayers and multilayers, and poly-L-lysine (PLL)-polygalacturonic acid (PGalA) multilayers at a solid-liquid interface using freshly-cleaved mica as a substrate. QCMD measurements were complemented with atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM images revealed that lyso...

We report the biomimetic synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted silica nanoplates templated by double hydrophilic PEG-b-poly-L-lysine diblock copolymers. The silica nanoplates can be re-dispersed in PEG selective solvents. The sizes of silica nanoplates can be tuned from a few hundred nanometers to tens of micrometers.

We determined the complete genome sequence of a soil bacterium, Streptomyces albulus NK660. It can produce ε-poly-l-lysine, which has antimicrobial activity against a spectrum of microorganisms. The genome of S. albulus NK660 contains a 9,360,281-bp linear chromosome and a 12,120-bp linear plasmid.