Macromolecular nucleic acids such as DNA vaccines, siRNA, and splice-site switching oligomers (SSO) have vast chemotherapeutic potential. Nanoparticulate biomaterials hold promise for DNA and RNA delivery when a means for binding is identified that retains structure-function and provides stabilization by the nanoparticles. In order to provide these benefits of binding, we combined DNA and RNA with protamine— demonstrating association to gold microparticles by electrophoretic, gel shot, fluorescence, and dynamic laser light spectroscopy (DLLS). A pivotal finding in these studies is that the Au-protamine-DNA conjugates greatly stabilize the DNA; and DNA structure and vaccine activity are maintained even after exposure to physical, chemical, and temperature-accelerated degradation. Specifically, protamine formed nanoparticles when complexed to RNA. These complexes could be detected by gel shift and were probed by high throughput absorbance difference spectroscopy (HTADS). Biological activity of these RNA nanoparticles (RNPs) was demonstrated also by a human tumor cell splice-site switching assay and by siRNA delivery against B-Raf—a key cancer target. Finally, RNA:protamine particles inhibited growth of cultured human tumor cells and bacteria. These data provide new insights into DNA and RNA nanoparticles and prospects for their delivery and chemotherapeutic activity.

DNA and RNA micro- and nanoparticles are increasingly being used for gene and siRNA drug delivery and a variety of other applications in bionanotechnology. On the nanoscale, these entities represent unique challenges from a physicochemical characterization perspective. Here, nucleic acid conjugates with protamine and gold nanoparticles (GNP) were characterized comparatively in the nanorange of concentration by UV/Vis NanoDrop spectroscopy, fluorimetry, and gel electrophoresis. Given the intense interest in splice-site switching oligomers (SSOs), we utilized a human tumor cell culture system (HeLa pLuc-705), in which SSO-directed splicing repair upregulates luciferase expression, in order to investigate bioactivity of the bionanoconjugates. Process parameters important for bioactivity were investigated, and the bimolecular nanoconjugates were confirmed by shifts in the dynamic laser light scatter (DLLS), UV/Vis spectrum, gel electrophoresis, or sedimentation pattern. The data presented herein may be useful in the future development of pharmaceutical and biotechnology formulations, processes, and analyses concerning protein, DNA, or RNA bionanoconjugates.

Newcastle University Library has been using OCLC's LS/2000 for cataloguing and an OPAC since March 1985. To provide greater network access to the OPAC, it was decided in 1987 to use the CATS software (from Cambridge University Library) on the University mainframe (an Amdahl running MTS) to provide an alternative OPAC, networked round the campus and over JANET. This OPAC is part of the University Information Service. The CATS search program is written in FORTRAN 77 and provides public access searching of the catalogue by keywords taken from author, title and subject headings in the MARC record. (See VINE 63 and 47 for further details.) We have thereby gained the opportunity to compare two different systems running on the same database, and also a back‐up OPAC if LS/2000 is not available, for example during maintenance.

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