title: CLAVATA3 dodecapeptide modified CdTe nanoparticles: a biocompatible quantum dot probe for in vivo labeling of plant stem cells.
abstract: CLAVATA3 (CLV3) dodecapeptides function in plant stem cell maintenance, but CLV3 function in cell-cell communication remains less clear. Here, we coupled CLV3 dodecapeptides to synthesized CdTe nanoparticles to track their bioactivity on stem cells in the root apical meristem. To achieve this, we first synthesized CdTe quantum dots (QDs) using a one-pot method, and then evaluated the cytotoxicity of the QDs in BY-2 cells. The results showed that QDs in plant cells must be used at low concentrations and for short treatment time. To make biocompatible probes to track stem cell fate, we conjugated CLV3 dodecapeptides to the QDs by the zero-coupling method; this modification greatly reduced the cytotoxicity of the QDs. Furthermore, we detected CLV3-QDs localized on the cell membrane, consistent with the known localization of CLV3. Our results indicate that using surface-modified QDs at low concentrations and for short time treatment can improve their utility for plant cell imaging.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biotechnology of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Life Sciences, Hubei provincial Key laboratory for protection and application of special plants in Wuling Area of China, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Guanghui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biotechnology of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Life Sciences, Hubei provincial Key laboratory for protection and application of special plants in Wuling Area of China, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: College of Electronics and Information Engineering, South-Central University for Natonalities, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Xiangzhu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biotechnology of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Life Sciences, Hubei provincial Key laboratory for protection and application of special plants in Wuling Area of China, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: College of Science, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Biology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Jiangong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D010455:Peptides; D010940:Plant Proteins