Peptides are diverse and versatile tools in biotechnology � they act as chemical messengers, intra- or intercellular mediators, stimulators, inhibitors and serve a myriad of other functions in living systems. The individual character of each amino acid, combined, results in unique properties that are particularly useful in gene delivery applications. Cationic components (arginine, lysine, histidine) make efficient gene delivery agents due to membrane-destabilizing, DNA-condensing and pH buffering properties. A group of molecular transporters, now popularly known as cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), are short peptide sequences that vary significantly in sequence, hydrophobicity, polarity, and have the remarkable capacity for membrane translocation. Meanwhile, targeted delivery to essential organelles such as the mitochondria can be achieved with mitochondrial-targeting peptides (MTPs), which are typically N-terminal motifs predicted to form amphipathic helixes and enriched in positively charged basic residues. The combination of cationic, cell-penetrating and mitochondria-targeting components reported here is an exciting new design parameter that enabled cellular uptake, localization and expression of exogenous DNA in the mitochondria of living plants (Figure 1). 

Engineered peptides for mitochondrial-targeted gene delivery in living plants

248th National Meeting (2014)

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