The BLOC Interactomes Form a Network in Endosomal Transport

With the identification of more than a dozen novel Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome （HPS） proteins in vesicle trafficking in higher eukaryotes, a new class of trafficking pathways has been described. It mainly consists of three newly-defined protein com- plexes, BLOC-l, -2, and -3. Compelling evidence indicates that these complexes together with two other well-known complexes, AP3 and HOPS, play important roles in endosomal transport. The interactions between these complexes form a network in protein trafficking via endosomes and cytoskeleton. Each node of this network has intra-complex and extra-complex interactions. These complexes are connected by direct interactions between the subunits from different complexes or by indirect interactions through coupling nodes that interact with two or more subunits from different complexes. The dissection of this network facilitates the understanding of a dynamic but elaborate transport machinery in protein/membrane trafficking. The disruption of this network may lead to abnormal trafficking or defective organellar development as described in patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome.

CDK11 negatively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the endosomal compartment by affecting microtubule stability

Objectives:Improper activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been implicated in human diseases.Beyond the well-studied glycogen synthase kinase 3p(GSK3p)and casein kinase 1(CK1),other kinases affecting Wnt/β-catenin signaling remain to be defined.Methods:To identify the kinases that modulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling,we applied a kinase small interfering RNA(siRNA)library screen approach.Luciferase assays,immunoblotting,and real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)were performed to confirm the regulation o f the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by cyclin-dependent kinase 11(CDK11)and to investigate the underlying mechanism.Confocal immunofluorescence,coimmunoprecipitation(co-IP),and scratch wound assays were used to demonstrate colocalization,detect protein interactions,and explore the function of CDK11.Results:CDK11 was found to be a significant candidate kinase participating in the negative control of Wnt/P-catenin signaling.Down-regulation of CDK11 led to the accumulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling receptor complexes,in a manner dependent on intact adenomatosis polyposis coli(APC)protein.Further analysis showed that CDK11 modulation of Wnt/P-catenin signaling engaged the endolysosomal machinery,and CDK11 knockdown enhanced the colocalization of Wnt/β-catenin signaling receptor complexes with early endosomes and decreased colocalization with lysosomes.Mechanistically,CDK11 was found to function in Wnt/β-catenin signaling by regulating microtubule stability.Depletion of CDK11 down-regulated acetyl-a-tubulin.Moreover,co-IP assays demonstrated that CDK11 interacts with the a-tubulin deacetylase SIRT2,whereas SIRT2 down-regulation in CDK11-depleted cells reversed the accumulation of Wnt/(3-catenin signaling receptor complexes.CDK11 was found to suppress cell migration through altered W nt/β-catenin signaling.Conclusions:CDK11 is a negative modulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling that stabilizes microtubules,thus resulting in the dysregulation of receptor complex trafficking from early endosomes to lysosomes.

Charge-guided masking of a membrane-destabilizing peptide enables efficient endosomal escape for targeted intracellular delivery of proteins

Intracellular delivery of biologicals such as peptides,proteins,and nucleic acids presents a great opportunity for innovative therapeutics.However,the endosome entrapment remains a major bottleneck in the intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules,largely limiting their therapeutic potential.Here,we converted a cell-penetrating peptide(CPP),low molecular weight protamine(LMWP),to endosomal escape peptides(EEPs)by masking LMWP with a pH-responsive counter-ionic peptide.The resulting masked CPPs(mLMWP and mLMWP2)effectively promoted the escape of peptide/protein cargoes from endosomes into the cytoplasm.Consequential lysosome repair and lysophagy were initiated upon the endolysosomal leakage.Minimal reactive oxygen species(ROS)elevation or cell death was observed.Based on mLMWP2,we constructed an intracellular protein delivery system containing an antibody as a targeting module,mLMWP2 as an endosomal escape module,and the desired protein cargo.With the HER2-targeting delivery system,we efficiently translocated cyclization recombination enzyme(Cre)and BH3-interacting domain death agonist(BID)into the cytosol of HER2^(+)cells to exert their biological activity.Thereby,the modular delivery system shows its potential as a promising tool for scientific studies and therapeutic applications.

Interconnection of cellular autophagy and endosomal vesicle trafficking and its role in hepatitis B virus replication and release

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)produces and releases various particle types,including complete virions,subviral particles with envelope proteins,and naked capsids.Recent studies demonstrate that HBV exploits distinct intracellular membrane trafficking pathways,including the endosomal vesicle trafficking and autophagy pathway,to assemble and release viral and subviral particles.Herein,we summarize the findings about the distinct roles of autophagy and endosomal membrane trafficking and the interaction of both pathways in HBV replication,assembly,and release.

M6PR interacts with the HA2 subunit of influenza A virus to facilitate the fusion of viral and endosomal membranes

Influenza A virus(IAV) commandeers numerous host cellular factors for successful replication. However, very few host factors have been revealed to be involved in the fusion of viral envelope and late endosomal membranes. In this study, we identified cation-dependent mannose-6-phosphate receptor(M6PR) as a crucial host factor for the replication of IAV. We found that siRNA knockdown of M6PR expression significantly reduced the growth titers of different subtypes of IAV, and that the inhibitory effect of M6PR siRNA treatment on IAV growth was overcome by the complement of exogenously expressed M6PR. When A549 cells were treated with siRNA targeting M6PR,the nuclear accumulation of viral nucleoprotein(NP) was dramatically inhibited at early timepoints post-infection, indicating that M6PR engages in the early stage of the IAV replication cycle. By investigating the role of M6PR in the individual entry and post-entry steps of IAV replication, we found that the downregulation of M6PR expression had no effect on attachment, internalization, early endosome trafficking,or late endosome acidification. However, we found that M6PR expression was critical for the fusion of viral envelope and late endosomal membranes. Of note, M6PR interacted with the hemagglutinin(HA) protein of IAV, and further studies showed that the lumenal domain of M6PR and the ectodomain of HA2 mediated the interaction and directly promoted the fusion of the viral and late endosomal membranes,thereby facilitating IAV replication. Together, our findings highlight the importance of the M6PR–HA interaction in the fusion of viral and late endosomal membranes during IAV replication.

Spastin is required for human immunodeficiency virus-1 efficient replication through cooperation with the endosomal sorting complex required for transport(ESCRT)protein

Human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1)encodes simply 15 proteins and thus depends on multiple host cellular factors for virus reproduction.Spastin,a microtubule severing protein,is an identified HIV-1 dependency factor,but the mechanism regulating HIV-1 is unclear.Here,the study showed that knockdown of spastin inhibited the production of the intracellular HIV-1 Gag protein and new virions through enhancing Gag lysosomal degradation.Further investigation showed that increased sodium tolerance 1(IST1),the subunit of endosomal sorting complex required for transport(ESCRT),could interact with the MIT domain of spastin to regulate the intracellular Gag production.In summary,spastin is required for HIV-1 replication,while spastin-IST1 interaction facilitates virus production by regulating HIV-1 Gag intracellular trafficking and degradation.Spastin may serve as new target for HIV-1 prophylactic and therapy.

ESCRT-I Component VPS23A Affects ABA Signaling by Recognizing ABA Receptors for Endosomal Degradation

Recent discovery of PYR/PYL/RCAR-type abscisic acid （ABA） receptors has become one of most significant advances in plant science in the past decade. In mammals, endosomal sorting acts as an important pathway to downregulate different types of receptors, but its role in plant hormone signaling is poorly understood. Here, we report that an ubiquitin E2-1ike protein, VPS23A, which is a key component of ESCRT-I, negatively regulates ABA signaling. VPS23A has epistatic relationship with PYR/PYL/RCAR-type ABA receptors and disruption of VPS23A enhanced the activity of key kinase OST1 in the ABA signaling pathway under ABA treatment. Moreover, VPS23A interacts with PYR1/PYLs and K63-1inked diubiquitin, and PYL4 possesses K63-1inked ubiquitinated modification in vivo. Further analysis revealed that VPS23A affects the subcellular localization of PYR 1 and the stability of PYL4. Taken together, our results suggest that VPS23A affects PYR1/ PYL4 via vacuole-mediated degradation, providing an advanced understanding of both the turnover of ABA receptors and ESCRTs in plant hormone signaling.

Non-26S Proteasome Proteolytic Role of Ubiquitin in Plant Endocytosis and Endosomal Trafficking

The 76 amino acid protein ubiquitin （Ub） is highly conserved in all eukaryotic species. It plays important roles in many cellular processes by covalently attaching to the target proteins. The best known function of Ub is marking substrate proteins for degra- dation by the 26S proteasome. In fact, other consequences of ubiquitination have been discovered in yeast and mammals, such as membrane trafficking, DNA repair, chromatin modification, and protein kinase activation. The common mechanism underlying these processes is that Ub serves as a signal to sort proteins to the vacuoles or lysosomes for degradation as opposed to 26S proteasome-dependent degradation. To date, several reports have indicated that a similar function of Ub also exists in plants. This review focuses on a summary and analysis of the recent research progress on Ub acting as a signal to mediate endocytosis and endosomal trafficking in plants.

Enhanced endosomal escape of dendrigraft poly-L-lysine polymers for the efficient gene therapy of breast cancer

Dendrimer,such as dendrigraft poly-L-lysine(DGL)polymers,with high surface charge density,well-defined structure,and narrow poly-dispersity is often employed as a gene vector,but its transfection efficiency is still partially inhibited due to poor endosomal escape ability.Herein,we used a surface modification strategy to enhance the endosomal escape ability of DGL polymers,and thus improved its gene transfection efficiency.A library of phenylboronic acid(PBA)modified DGL polymers(PBA-DGLs)was designed to screen efficient small interfering RNA(siRNA)vectors.The lead candidate screened from the library shown a capability of inducing nearly 90% gene silencing in MDA-MB-231 cells.The study of the transfection mechanism revealed that PBA modification not only improves siRNA cellular uptake,but,more importantly,endows DGL polymers the ability of endosomal escape.One of the top candidates from polyplexes was further shielded with hyaluronic acid to construct targeted nanoparticles,and the yielding nanoparticles significantly suppressed the tumor growth in a breast cancer model by effective siRNA delivery.This research provides a general and effective strategy to enhance the endosomal escape and transfection efficiency of dendrimer.

Design of nanocarriers for efficient cellular uptake and endosomal release of small molecule and nucleic acid drugs： learning from virus

There are many challenges in developing efficient and target specific delivery systems of small molecule and nucleic acid drugs. Cell membrane presents one of the major barriers for the penetration of hydrophilic macromolecules across the plasma membrane. Nanocar- riers have been designed to enhance their cellular uptake via endocytosis but following their cellular uptake, endosomal escape is the rate limiting step which restricts the value associated with the enhanced uptake by nanocarriers. Viruses are an excellent model for efficient cytosolic delivery by nanocarriers. Viruses exploit intra- cellular cues to release the genome to cytosol. In this review, we first discuss different endocytic uptake path- ways and endosomal escape mechanisms. We then summarize the existing tools for studying the intracellular trafficking of nanocarriers. Finally, we highlight the important design elements of recent virus-based nanocar- tiers for efficient cellular uptake and endosomal escape.

Endosomal escape of protein nanoparticles engineered through humanized histidine-rich peptides

Poly-histidine peptides such as H6(HHHHHH)are used in protein biotechnologies as purification tags,protein-assembling agents and endosomal-escape entities.The pleiotropic properties of such peptides make them appealing to design protein-based smart materials or nanoparticles for imaging or drug delivery to be produced in form of recombinant proteins.However,the clinical applicability of H6-tagged proteins is restricted by the potential immunogenicity of these segments.In this study,we have explored several humanized histidine-rich peptides in tumor-targeted modular proteins,which can specifically bind and be internalized by the target cells through the tumoral marker CXCR4.We were particularly interested in exploring how protein purification,self-assembling and endosomal escape perform in proteins containing the variant histidine-rich tags.Among the tested candidates,the peptide H5 E(HEHEHEHEH)is promising as a good promoter of endosomal escape of the associated fulllength protein upon endosomal internalization.The numerical modelling of cell penetration and endosomal escape of the tested proteins has revealed a negative relationship between the amount of protein internalized into target cells and the efficiency of cytoplasmic release.This fact demonstrates that the His-mediated,proton sponge-based endosomal escape saturates at moderate amounts of internalized protein,a fact that might be critical for the design of protein materials for cytosolic molecular delivery.

Convenient preparation of charge-adaptive chitosan nanomedicines for extended blood circulation and accelerated endosomal escape

A major impediment in the development of chitosan nanoparticles （CTS NPs） as effective drug delivery vesicles is their rapid clearance from blood and endosome entrapment. To overcome these problems, a convenient and promising template system was developed by decorating poly（methacrylic acid） （PMAA） to the surface of 10-hydroxy camptothecin （HCPT）-loaded CTS NPs （HCPT-CTS/ PMAA NPs）. The results show that the presence of negatively charged PMAA significantly elongated the blood circulation time of HCPT-CTS NPs from 12 to 24 h, and reduced the blood clearance （C1） from 30.57 to 6.72 mL/h in vivo. The calculated area under curve （AUC0-24h） and terminal elimination half-life （tl/2） of HCPT-CTS/PMAA NPs were 4.37-fold and 2.48-fold compared with those of HCPT-CTS NPs. Furthermore, the positively charged HCPT-CTS/PMAA NPs triggered by tumor acidic microenvironment （pH 6.5） result in a 453-fold higher cellular uptake than the negatively charged counterparts at pH 7.4. Additionally, HCPT-CTS/PMAA NPs have the ability to escape endosomal entrapment via ＂proton sponge effect＂ after incubation with HepG2 cells for 3 h at pH 6.5. Taken together, these findings open up a convenient, low-cost, but effective way to prepare HCPT-CTS/PMAA NPs as a candidate for developing vectors with enhanced long blood circulation and endosomal escape ability in future clinical experiments.

New aspects of a small GTPase RAB35 in brain development and function

In eukaryotic cells,organelles in the secretory,lysosomal,and endocytic pathways actively exchange biological materials with each other through intracellular membrane trafficking,which is the process of transporting the cargo of proteins,lipids,and other molecules to appropriate compartments via transport vesicles or intermediates.These processes are strictly regulated by various small GTPases such as the RAS-like in rat brain(RAB)protein family,which is the largest subfamily of the RAS superfamily.Dysfunction of membrane trafficking affects tissue homeostasis and leads to a wide range of diseases,including neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.Therefore,it is important to understand the physiological and pathological roles of RAB proteins in brain function.RAB35,a member of the RAB family,is an evolutionarily conserved protein in metazoans.A wide range of studies using cultured mammalian cells and model organisms have revealed that RAB35 mediates various processes such as cytokinesis,endocytic recycling,actin bundling,and cell migration.RAB35 is also involved in neurite outgrowth and turnover of synaptic vesicles.We generated brain-specific Rab35 knockout mice to study the physiological roles of RAB35 in brain development and function.These mice exhibited defects in anxiety-related behaviors and spatial memory.Strikingly,RAB35 is required for the precise positioning of pyramidal neurons during hippocampal development,and thereby for normal hippocampal lamination.In contrast,layer formation in the cerebral cortex occurred superficially,even in the absence of RAB35,suggesting a predominant role for RAB35 in hippocampal development rather than in cerebral cortex development.Recent studies have suggested an association between RAB35 and neurodegenerative diseases,including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.In this review,we provide an overview of the current understanding of subcellular functions of RAB35.We also provide insights into the physiological role of RAB35 in mammalian brain development and function,and discuss the involvement of RAB35 dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases.

Molecular Characterization of Plant Prevacuolar and Endosomal Compartments

Prevacuolar compartments （PVCs） and endosomal compartments are membrane-bound organelles mediating protein traffic to vacuoles in the secretory and endocytic pathways of plant cells. Over the years, great progress has been made towards our understanding in these two compartments in plant cells. In this review, we will summarize our contributions toward the identification and characterization of plant prevacuolar and endosomal compartments. Our studies will serve as important steps in future molecular characterization of PVC biogenesis and PVC-mediated protein traffickinq in plant cells.

Sterol-binding proteins and endosomal cholesterol transport

Endosomal compartments sort and deliver exogenous lipoprotein-derived cholesterol to the endoplasmic reticulum for regulating cellular cholesterol homeostasis.A large number of studies have focused on the removal of endosomal cholesterol,since its accumulation leads to devastating human diseases.Recent studies suggest that cytoplasmic sterol-binding proteins may be involved in endosomal cholesterol transport.In particular,endosome/lysosome-localized or-associated cholesterol-binding proteins may serve as key mediators of cholesterol removal in a non-vesicular manner.Further characterization of these cholesterol-binding proteins will shed light on the molecular mechanisms that regulate endosomal cholesterol sorting.

SARS-CoV-2 treatment effects induced by ACE2-expressing microparticles are explained by the oxidized cholesterolincreased endosomal pH of alveolar macrophages

Exploring the cross-talk between the immune system and advanced biomaterials to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection is a promising strategy.Here,we show that ACE2-overexpressing A549 cell-derived microparticles(AO-MPs)are a potential therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2 infection.Intranasally administered AO-MPs dexterously navigate the anatomical and biological features of the lungs to enter the alveoli and are taken up by alveolar macrophages(AMs).Then,AO-MPs increase the endosomal pH but decrease the lysosomal pH in AMs,thus escorting bound SARS-CoV-2 from phago-endosomes to lysosomes for degradation.This pH regulation is attributable to oxidized cholesterol,which is enriched in AO-MPs and translocated to endosomal membranes,thus interfering with proton pumps and impairing endosomal acidification.In addition to promoting viral degradation,AO-MPs also inhibit the proinflammatory phenotype of AMs,leading to increased treatment efficacy in a SARS-CoV-2-infected mouse model without side effects.These findings highlight the potential use of AO-MPs to treat SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and showcase the feasibility of MP therapies for combatting emerging respiratory viruses in the future.

Rabies virus co-localizes with early(Rab5) and late(Rab7) endosomal proteins in neuronal and SH-SY5Y cells

Rabies virus(RABV) is a highly neurotropic virus that follows clathrin-mediated endocytosis and p H-dependent pathway for trafficking and invasion into endothelial cells. Early(Rab5, EEA1) and late(Rab7, LAMP1) endosomal proteins play critical roles in endosomal sorting, maturity and targeting various molecular cargoes, but their precise functions in the early stage of RABV neuronal infection remain elusive. In this study, the relationship between enigmatic entry of RABV with these endosomal proteins into neuronal and SH-SY5 Y cells was investigated.Immunofluorescence, TCID_(50) titers, electron microscopy and western blotting were carried out to determine the molecular interaction of the nucleoprotein(N) of RABV with early or late endosomal proteins in these cell lines. The expression of N was also determined by down-regulating Rab5 and Rab7 in both cell lines through RNA interference. The results were indicative that N proficiently colocalized with Rab5/EEA1 and Rab7/LAMP1 in both cell lines at 24 and 48 h post-infection, while N titers significantly decreased in early infection of RABV. Down-regulation of Rab5 and Rab7 did not inhibit N expression, but it prevented productive infection via blocking the normal trafficking of RABV in a low pH environment. Ultrathin sections of cells studied by electron microscope also verified the close association of RABV with Rab5 and Rab7 in neurons. From the data it was concluded that primary entry of RABV strongly correlates with the kinetics of Rab-proteins present on early and late vesicles, which provides helpful clues to explain the early events of RABV in nerve cells.

siRNA-functionalized lanthanide nanoparticle enables efficient endosomal escape and cancer treatment

Attaching DNA/RNA to nanomaterials is the basis for nucleic acid-based assembly and drug delivery.Herein,we report that small interfering RNA(siRNA)effectively coordinates with ligand-free lanthanide nanoparticles(NaGdF4 NPs),and forms siRNA/NaGdF4 spherical nucleic acids(SNA).The coordination is primarily attributed to the interaction between Gd and phosphate backbone of the siRNA.Surprisingly,an efficient encapsulation and rapid endosomal escape of siRNA from the endosome/lysosome were achieved,due to its flexible ability to bound to phospholipid head of endosomal membrane,thereby disrupting the membrane structure.Resorting to the dual properties of NaGdF4 NPs,siRNA loading,and endosomal escape,siRNA targeting programmed cell death-ligand 1(siPD-L1)/NaGdF4 SNA triggers significant gene silencing in vitro and in vivo,and effectively represses the tumor growth in both CT26 tumor model and 4T1 orthotopic murine model.

Upregulation of RIN3 induces endosomal dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease

Background In Alzheimer’s Disease(AD),about one-third of the risk genes identified by GWAS encode proteins that function predominantly in the endocytic pathways.Among them,the Ras and Rab Interactor 3(RIN3)is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor(GEF)for the Rab5 small GTPase family and has been implicated to be a risk factor for both late onset AD(LOAD)and sporadic early onset AD(sEOAD).However,how RIN3 is linked to AD pathogenesis is currently undefined.Methods Quantitative PCR and immunoblotting were used to measure the RIN3 expression level in mouse brain tissues and cultured basal forebrain cholinergic neuron(BFCNs).Immunostaining was used to define subcellular localization of RIN3 and to visualize endosomal changes in cultured primary BFCNs and PC12 cells.Recombinant flag-tagged RIN3 protein was purified from HEK293T cells and was used to define RIN3-interactomes by mass spectrometry.RIN3-interacting partners were validated by co-immunoprecipitation,immunofluorescence and yeast two hybrid assays.Live imaging of primary neurons was used to examine axonal transport of amyloid precursor protein(APP)andβ-secretase 1(BACE1).Immunoblotting was used to detect protein expression,processing of APP and phosphorylated forms of Tau.Results We have shown that RIN3 mRNA level was significantly increased in the hippocampus and cortex of APP/PS1 mouse brain.Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons(BFCNs)cultured from E18 APP/PS1 mouse embryos also showed increased RIN3 expression accompanied by early endosome enlargement.In addition,via its proline rich domain,RIN3 recruited BIN1(bridging integrator 1)and CD2AP(CD2 associated protein),two other AD risk factors,to early endosomes.Interestingly,overexpression of RIN3 or CD2AP promoted APP cleavage to increase its carboxyl terminal fragments(CTFs)in PC12 cells.Upregulation of RIN3 or the neuronal isoform of BIN1 increased phosphorylated Tau level.Therefore,upregulation of RIN3 expression promoted accumulation of APP CTFs and increased phosphorylated Tau.These effects by RIN3 was rescued by the expression of a dominant negative Rab5(Rab5S34N)construct.Our study has thus pointed to that RIN3 acts through Rab5 to impact endosomal trafficking and signaling.Conclusion RIN3 is significantly upregulated and correlated with endosomal dysfunction in APP/PS1 mouse.Through interacting with BIN1 and CD2AP,increased RIN3 expression alters axonal trafficking and procession of APP.Together with our previous studies,our current work has thus provided important insights into the role of RIN3 in regulating endosomal signaling and trafficking.

CONTRIBUTION OF CHOLESTEROL MOIETIES ATTACHED ON MPEG-b-PCL-b-PLL TO THE CELL UPTAKE, ENDOSOMAL ESCAPE AND GENE KNOCKDOWN OF THE MICELLEPLEXES OF siRNA

To further enhance the transfection efficiency of a micelleplex system based on monomethoxy poly（ethylene glycol）-block-poly（e-caprolactone）-block-poly（L-lysine） （MPEG-b-PCL-b-PLL）, cholesterol （Chol） moieties are attached to the e-termini of PLL segments to obtain MPEG-b-PCL-b-PLL/Chol. The structure and morphology of the copolymer are studied by IH-NMR, TEM and DLS （dynamic light scattering）. The cytotoxicity, cell uptake, endosomal release and mRNA knockdown are studied by MTT （3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide） assay, flow cytometry, CLSM （confocal laser scanning microscopy） and RT-PCR （real-time polymerase chain reaction）. The results show that compared to their precursor MPEG-b-PCL-b-PLL, the cholesterol-grafted copolymer shows significantly lower toxicity, more rapid cellular endocytosis and endosome escape, and consequently displays enhanced siRNA transfection efficiency even at a lower N/P ratio. These improvements are ascribed to enhanced interaction of the cholesterol moieties with both cellular membrane and endosomal membrane. Moreover, effect of the PLL block length is examined. The final conclusion is that long enough PLL segments and incorporation of proper fraction of cholesterol onto the PLL segments benefit the enhancement of siRNA transfection efficiency.