Protein/peptide transduction domains: potential to deliver large DNA molecules into cells.

In vivo gene delivery can be achieved by direct injection of plasmid DNA. However, inefficient cellular uptake and nuclear import of plasmid DNA result in much lower levels of gene expression than observed when viral vectors are used as gene delivery agents. Recent studies have shown that transducing peptides, such as the HIV Tat protein, can carry large biomolecules from the extracellular environment directly into the cytoplasm and the nucleus of cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, TAT-mediated transduction has the potential to increase the delivery of plasmid DNA to the nuclei of cells in vivo and thereby increase gene expression.