Transfection Technologies

Experimental transfer of discrete nucleic acids to eukaryotic cells has allowed us to take giant strides in our basic understanding of eukaryotic gene expression and regulation. Viral particles transfer nucleic acid naturally to cells by the process of infection; the process of nucleic acid transfer to cells by artificial, nonviral methods is referred to as “transfection.” Transfection to mammalian cells by chemical, nonviral methods was introduced more than 30 years ago (1 ). Plasmid DNA is currently the type of nucleic acid most frequently transfected, but oligonucleotides, yeast artificial chromosomes, and RNA can each be transfected to mammalian cells using appropriate methods. Nucleic acid delivery or gene transfer has been expanded to the whole organism level and is central for our ability to produce transgenic animal models and to engage in clinical studies for the purpose of correcting metabolic disorders and treating cancer (2 ).