The positively charged spermine headgroups bind to DNA, coating it with a lipid layer. In the presence of excess lipopolyamine, cationic lipid-coated plasmid DNA particles are formed. The lipid regions of these particles associate with the cell membrane and internalization of the DNA probably occurs by endocytosis. Structure of Transfectam reagent. Efficient and Rapid Transfection Transfectam-mediated transfection offers several advantages over other techniques for transfection.
Maximum efficiency is obtained in serum-free medium.
Due to the high affinity of the spermine headgroups for DNA, plasmid DNA is efficiently coated with the lipopolyamines. As a result, less DNA can be used per transfection than with other techniques, such as calcium phosphate coprecipitation. Maximum transfection efficiency was obtained in 30 minutes with these cells. A short transfection time minimizes the risk of cell death, which is an important consideration for fragile cells that do not tolerate serum deprivation well. It can be used for both transient expression or stable transformation studies.