LYOTROPIC BEHAVIOR OF CHOLESTERIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS APPLIED AS NON-VIRAL VECTORS I

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Four synthetic cholesteric lyquid-crystal polymers (CLCP)are able to bind nucleic acids in solution and behave as non-viral vectors, transfecting in cells. We expect to observe by SAXS the effect of enviromental changes (rapid dilution and pH-jumps)on the CLCPs structure, dispersed in water, chloroform and methanol. Finally we intend to understand the structural changes in the CLCP induced by commercial-DNA binding when dispersed in aqueous solution. Single crystals of CLCP already attained would permit us to obtain single crystal diffraction data in the low resolution range which would help to interpret the solution scattering curves. Rapid access is needed to untangle other experiments in course, presently confused.