Due to their unique photophysical properties and excellent stability, Quantum dots (QDs) have often been branded as greatly promising fluorescent platforms that could advance our understanding of several biological problems.  One of the major hurdles that slowed their integration into biology has been the inability to easily deliver them into the cytosol of live cells. Several methods have been investigated for intracellular delivery with mixed results. We report a novel model of a passive QD delivery using a 7 KDa peptide capable of bypassing the endocytotic pathways.  The peptide is expressed with a polyhistidine-tag to allow self-assembly onto the QDs. We measured substantial uptake at rather low concentrations (10-50 nM) by several mammalian cells. Furthermore, upon internalization the QDs are primarily distributed outside the endosomal compartments, suggesting an entry mechanism based on the likely perforation of the outer membrane. The conjugate design and mechanism of internalization will be discussed

Peptide-mediated intracellular delivery of luminescent quantum dots: Bypassing the endocytotic pathways

246th National Meeting (2013)

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