Quantum dots targeted to the assigned organelle in living cells.
Fluorescent nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) have the potential to be applied to bioimaging since QDs emit higher and far longer fluorescence than conventional organic probes. Here we show that QDs conjugated with signal peptide obey the order to transport the assigned organelle in living cells. We designed the supermolecule of luminescent QDs conjugated with nuclear- and mitochondria-targeting ligands. When QDs with nuclear-localizing signal peptides were added to the culture media, we can visualize the movements of the QDs being delivered into the nuclear compartment of the cells with 15 min incubation. In addition, mitochondrial signal peptide can also transport QDs to the mitochondria in living cells. In conclusion, these techniques have the possibility that QDs can reveal the transduction of proteins and peptides into specific subcellular compartments as a powerful tool for studying intracellular analysis in vitro and even in vivo.
Hoshino
Akiyoshi
A
Department of Medical Ecology and Informatics, Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan.
Fujioka
Kouki
K
Oku
Taisuke
T
Nakamura
Shun
S
Suga
Masakazu
M
Yamaguchi
Yukio
Y
Suzuki
Kazuo
K
Yasuhara
Masato
M
Yamamoto
Kenji
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002863:Chromogenic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals / Q000378:metabolism*; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport; D045663:Quantum Dots; D014709:Vero Cells
D002863:Chromogenic Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals; C477826:COX8C protein, human; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV