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Short answer: Biolistic delivery (also called a gene gun, DNA gun or particle bombardment) is a direct physical method of introducing nucleic acids into cells: DNA is coated onto dense gold or tungsten microparticles that are accelerated by a pulse of helium into the target, so they pass through cell walls and membranes. It is used where chemical, lipid or viral delivery works poorly, most often in plants but also in cultured cells and tissues. This page is general background, not a protocol.
What biolistic, biolistics and gene gun mean
Bio-Rad, which sells the best-known instruments, describes biolistic technology, “also called particle bombardment,” as a direct physical method of introducing nucleic acids into cells. The nucleic acid is coated onto high-density microparticles called microcarriers (gold or tungsten) and driven into cells by a helium pulse. The words biolistic, biolistics, gene gun, gene guns and DNA gun all refer to this same approach and to the instruments that do it. A gene gun is a laboratory delivery device; the name does not describe a weapon.
The approach was developed in the late 1980s by Sanford and colleagues. An early demonstration in plants is Klein et al. (1988, PNAS 85:8502-8505), who reported stable genetic transformation of intact Nicotiana cells by treating leaves or suspension-culture cells with tungsten microprojectiles carrying plasmid DNA.
How a gene gun delivers DNA
Bio-Rad’s technical bulletin 5443 describes two instrument formats. The comparison below uses only the parameters stated in that bulletin.
| Feature | Handheld (Helios gene gun) | Vacuum chamber (PDS-1000/He) |
|---|---|---|
| How particles are released | A low-pressure helium pulse sweeps microcarriers off the inner wall of a plastic cartridge | Helium is held in a gas acceleration tube until a rupture disk bursts; the shock wave drives a macrocarrier toward a stopping screen that retains it while microparticles continue into the target |
| Stated pressure range | 100-600 psi | 450-2,200 psi |
| Vacuum needed | No | Partial vacuum in the bombardment chamber |
| Target area | Small, about 2 cm2 (spread about 2.25 cm in diameter) | About 40 cm2; a Hepta adaptor is stated to treat 7-10 times more cells |
| Other stated features | Gold microparticles; up to 12 samples in succession; used in vivo in mammalian systems | Rupture disks, macrocarriers, microcarriers and stopping screens are bought separately |
Parameters that set particle velocity
The same bulletin lists five variables that determine how fast the microparticles travel, which makes them a natural checklist when a lab compares or optimises runs on a vacuum-chamber system:
- helium pressure, set by the rupture disk;
- the amount of vacuum;
- the distance from rupture disk to macrocarrier;
- the distance from launch assembly to stopping screen;
- the distance from stopping screen to the target.
Gold versus tungsten microcarriers
Published reviews describe a trade-off. Gold is chemically inert and more uniform in size but costs more; tungsten is cheaper but more variable in size and has been reported to be somewhat toxic to plant cells. Russell, Roy and Sanford (1992, Plant Physiology) reported that gold gave about fourfold more kanamycin-resistant colonies than a comparable tungsten treatment. Treat these as reported findings for specific systems, not universal rules: cell injury can also come from the blast itself.
Where biolistics fits among delivery methods
Bio-Rad states these advantages for its systems: transient or stable expression, small amounts of DNA and few cells, no carrier DNA, co-delivery of several plasmids, use in non-dividing cells and plants, avoidance of viral, chemical or lipid toxicity, and no need to trypsinise mammalian cells. It names monocot plants that resist other methods, and animal tissue and embryos, as typical applications. Targets listed include cell cultures, tissues, organs, plants, animals, bacteria and organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria. These are manufacturer claims; a lab still weighs them against electroporation, lipid reagents and viral vectors for its own cells. For that wider comparison and the approvals involved, see the CASRAI guide on choosing a transfection method and the biosafety approval you need. Work with recombinant nucleic acids is normally reviewed by an Institutional Biosafety Committee; see also biosafety and biosecurity.
Common misunderstandings
- It is not only for plants. Plants were the first major use, but the manufacturer lists mammalian cells, tissues, embryos, bacteria and organelles as targets.
- Delivery is not the same as stable integration. The method can give transient or stable expression; which occurs depends on the system and design.
- “Gene gun” is not a weapon. It is a bench instrument using a helium pulse.
- One setting does not fit all. Pressure, vacuum and the three distances above all change velocity, and results depend on the target.
FAQ
What is a biolistic gene gun?
A laboratory instrument that fires DNA-coated gold or tungsten microparticles into cells or tissue using a helium pulse.
Is biolistics the same as particle bombardment?
Yes. Bio-Rad describes biolistic technology as also called particle bombardment.
What is the difference between a gene gun and a DNA gun?
None in practice; both are informal names for a biolistic delivery device.
What does biolistic transformation mean?
Introducing DNA into a cell, most often a plant cell, by particle bombardment rather than by a vector or chemical reagent.
Sources
- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Biolistic Particle Delivery Systems, bulletin 5443, bio-rad.com (read 2026-11-07).
- Klein TM, Harper EC, Svab Z, Sanford JC, Fromm ME, Maliga P. Stable genetic transformation of intact Nicotiana cells by the particle bombardment process. PNAS 1988;85(22):8502-8505. PMC282486 (abstract read 2026-11-07).
- Russell JA, Roy MK, Sanford JC. Physical trauma and tungsten toxicity reduce the efficiency of biolistic transformation. Plant Physiology 1992 (as summarised in a Springer review of biolistic methods).
