Self-Assembled Peptide-Based System for Mitochondrial-Targeted Gene Delivery: Functional and Structural Insights

Human mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to severe and often deadly diseases, for which there are no known cures. Although the targeted delivery of therapeutic gene to mitochondria is a promising approach to alleviate these disorders, gene carrier systems for the selective delivery of functional DNA into the mitochondria of living mammalian cells are currently unavailable. Here we rationally developed dual-domain peptides containing DNA-condensing/cell-penetrating/endosome-disruptive and mitochondria-targeting sequences. Secondary structures of the dual-domain peptides were analyzed, and variations in the physicochemical properties (stability, size, and zeta potential) of peptide/DNA complexes were studied as a function of peptide-to-DNA ratio and serum addition. An optimized formulation, identified through qualitative and quantitative studies, fulfills the fundamental prerequisites for mitochondria-specific DNA delivery, successfully transfecting a high proportion (82 +/- 2%) of mitochondria in a human cell line with concomitant biocompatibility. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies confirmed the effectiveness of our bipartite peptide design with segregated functions: a helical domain necessary for mitochondrial import and an unstructured region for interaction with DNA involving lysine residues. Further analyses revealed that the lysine-specific interaction assisted the self-organization of the peptide and the DNA cargo, leading to a structural arrangement within the formed complex that is crucial for its biological efficiency. Thus the reported gene vector represents a new and reliable tool to uncover the complexity of mitochondrial transfection.