Viral Transduction Enhancing Effect of EF‐C Peptide Nanofibrils Is Mediated by Cellular Protrusions

Self-assembling peptide nanofibrils (PNF) have gained increasing attention as versatile molecules in material science and biomedicine. One important application of PNF is to enhance retroviral gene transfer, a technology that has been central for therapy approaches. The best-investigated commercially available derived from 12-mer termed EF-C. mechanism transduction enhancement depends on the polycationic surface EF-C PNF, which bind negatively charged membranes viruses cells, thereby overcoming electrostatic repulsions virion attachment fusion. To better understand how interact with cell surface, scanning electron time-lapse confocal microscopy were performed. fibrils are found be actively engaged by cellular protrusions such filopodia. Consequently, chemical suppression protrusion formation abrogates fibril binding delivery immortalized primary T cells. Vice versa, induction plasma membrane blebs result increased binding. Thus, PNF-mediated viral involves an active engagement virus-loaded protrusions, may explain its superior performance over soluble enhancers.