Constructing Nucleic Acid Delivering Lipoproteoplexes from Coiled-Coil Supercharged Protein and Cationic Liposomes

The safe and efficient delivery of nucleic acids is crucial for both clinical applications of gene therapy and pre-clinical laboratory research. Such delivery strategies rely on vectors to condense nucleic acid payloads and escort them into the cell without being degraded in the extracellular environment; however, the construction and utilization of these vectors can be difficult and time-consuming. Here, we detail the steps involved in the rapid, laboratory-scale production and assessment of a versatile, nucleic acid delivery vehicle, known as the lipoproteoplex. In this chapter, we outline: (1) the recombinant synthesis and subsequent purification of the supercharged coiled-coil protein component known as N8; (2) the synthesis of cationic liposomes from dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) and sodium cholate; (3) and finally a protocol for the delivery of a model siRNA cargo into a cultured cell line.