The present invention relates to a novel method of genetic modification,
wherein a nucleic acid of interest is transferred across a biological
membrane, and/or directed to a specific location within or on a cell, by
use of a synthetic transport entity. The transport entity according to the
invention is new as such and produced by coupling a functional element
(FE), such as a nuclear localization signal (NLS), an antennapedia peptide
of a protein comprising both membrane translocation and nuclear transport
properties, to a binding element (BE), such as a peptide nucleic acid
(PNA), preferably separated by a linker molecule, which combination is
then hybridized to a BE target sequence present on a carrier, which also
includes the nucleic acid of interest. The present nucleic acid of
interest may for example be a gene encoding a peptide, a protein or an
RNA, or any other nucleic acid useful in genetic recombination events.
