Yum Kyungsuk, Na Sungsoo, Xiang Yang, Wang Ning, Yu Min-Feng
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Nano Lett. 2009 May;9(5):2193-8. doi: 10.1021/nl901047u.
Studying molecular dynamics inside living cells is a major but highly rewarding challenge in cell biology. We present a nanoscale mechanochemical method to deliver fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) into living cells, using a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle. We demonstrate the selective delivery of monodispersed QDs into the cytoplasm and the nucleus of living cells and the tracking of the delivered QDs inside the cells. The ability to deliver and track QDs may invite unconventional strategies for studying biological processes and biophysical properties in living cells with spatial and temporal precision, potentially with molecular resolution.
研究活细胞内的分子动力学是细胞生物学中的一项重大挑战,但却极具价值。我们提出了一种纳米级机械化学方法,利用穿透细胞膜的纳米针将荧光量子点(QDs)递送至活细胞内。我们展示了将单分散量子点选择性递送至活细胞的细胞质和细胞核,并对细胞内递送的量子点进行追踪。递送和追踪量子点的能力可能会催生非传统策略,用于在活细胞中以时空精度,甚至可能以分子分辨率研究生物过程和生物物理特性。