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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Structure of DNA-cationic liposome complexes: DNA intercalation in multilamellar membranes in distinct interhelical
J O Rädler1, I Koltover, T Salditt
1Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Abstract:
Cationic liposomes complexed with DNA (CL-DNA) are promising synthetically based nonviral carriers of DNA vectors for gene therapy. The solution structure of CL-DNA complexes was probed on length scales from subnanometer to micrometer by synchrotron x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. The addition of either linear lambda-phage or plasmid DNA to CLs resulted in an unexpected topological transition from liposomes to optically birefringent liquid-crystalline condensed globules. X-ray diffraction of the globules revealed a novel multilamellar structure with alternating lipid bilayer and DNA monolayers. The lambda-DNA chains form a one-dimensional lattice with distinct interhelical packing regimes. Remarkably, in the isoelectric point regime, the lambda-DNA interaxial spacing expands between 24.5 and 57.1 angstroms upon lipid dilution and is indicative of a long-range electrostatic-induced repulsion that is possibly enhanced by chain undulations.
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