title: Targeted nuclear delivery using peptide-coated quantum dots.
abstract: Core/shell quantum dots (CdSe/Zns) conjugated with various nuclear localization signaling (NLS) peptides, which could facilitate the transportation of quantum dots across the plasma membrane into the nucleus, have been utilized to investigate the uptake mechanism of targeted delivery. Because of their brightness and photostability, it was possible to trace the trajectories of individual quantum dots in living cells using both confocal and total internal reflection microscopes. We found that, when the quantum dots were added to a cell culture, the peptide-coated quantum dots entered the cell nucleus while the uncoated quantum dots remained in the cytoplasm. At 8 nM, most of the peptide coated quantum dots were found in the cytoplasm due to aggregation. However, at a lower concentration (0.08 nM), approximately 25% of the NLS peptide-coated quantum dots entered the cell nucleus. We also found that some quantum dots without NLS coating could also enter the nucleus, suggesting that the size of the quantum dots may play an important role in such a process.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chiung-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Di-Yen
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Chueh
authors.forename: Narendra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Fan-Ching
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Peilin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals