Carbon Nanofiber Arrays: A Novel Tool for Microdelivery of Biomolecules to Plants.
Effective methods for delivering bioprobes into the cells of intact plants are essential for investigating diverse biological processes. Increasing research on trees, such as Populus spp., for bioenergy applications is driving the need for techniques that work well with tree species. This report introduces vertically aligned carbon nanofiber (VACNF) arrays as a new tool for microdelivery of labeled molecules to Populus leaf tissue and whole plants. We demonstrated that VACNFs penetrate the leaf surface to deliver sub-microliter quantities of solution containing fluorescent or radiolabeled molecules into Populus leaf cells. Importantly, VACNFs proved to be gentler than abrasion with carborundum, a common way to introduce material into leaves. Unlike carborundum, VACNFs did not disrupt cell or tissue integrity, nor did they induce production of hydrogen peroxide, a typical wound response. We show that femtomole to picomole quantities of labeled molecules (fluorescent dyes, small proteins and dextran), ranging from 0.5-500 kDa, can be introduced by VACNFs, and we demonstrate the use of the approach to track delivered probes from their site of introduction on the leaf to distal plant regions. VACNF arrays thus offer an attractive microdelivery method for the introduction of biomolecules and other probes into trees and potentially other types of plants.
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.
Sandra M
SM
Davern
Electrical & Electronics Systems Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.
Timothy E
TE
McKnight
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.|Biology & Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.|Department of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Robert F
0000-0002-5684-1322
RF
Standaert
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.|Department of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Jennifer L
JL
Morrell-Falvey
Department of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Elena D
ED
Shpak
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.
Udaya C
UC
Kalluri
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
Joanna
J
Jelenska
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
Jean T
JT
Greenberg
Nuclear Security & Isotope Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America.
Saed
S
Mirzadeh
D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism*; D032107:Populus / Q000378:metabolism; D014197:Trees / Q000378:metabolism*
D002244:Carbon