Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
IUBMB Life. 2010 Mar;62(3):183-93. doi: 10.1002/iub.297.
Novel classes and applications of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are being constantly discovered since they were first identified 2 decades ago. These short cationic peptides (nanomolecules) either by covalent binding or by noncovalent binding can traverse cell membranes and deliver a variety of molecules that are unable to overcome the permeability barrier in their own capacity. The ability of the CPPs to deliver variety of macromolecules, such as oligonucleotides, therapeutic drugs, proteins, and medical imaging agents, by forming nanoparticulate carriers in a range of cells has led them to emerge as a potential tool for both macromolecule delivery application and to gain insight into the fundamentals of mechanism of cellular uptake across the plasma membrane. This review explores the recent advances, challenges, and future prospects in the field of CPP-mediated cargo delivery in mammalian and plant cells. Studies have been conducted into the peptide chemistry and stability of CPP-macromolecular complexes. Most of the CPPs have been shown to be nontoxic and do not interfere with the functionality of the macromolecules delivered across the cell membrane. The mechanism of uptake of CPP-cargo complexes and the uptake of CPPs alone across the plasma membrane remains unresolved. As the world of CPPs is rapidly advancing in both mammalian and plant system, there is a promising future for the various applications of transduction and transfection into intact cells.
自 20 年前首次被发现以来，人们不断发现新型细胞穿透肽 (CPP) 及其应用。这些短的阳离子肽（纳米分子）可以通过共价或非共价键与各种分子结合，这些分子本身无法穿透细胞膜的通透性屏障。CPP 能够形成各种纳米颗粒载体，将多种大分子（如寡核苷酸、治疗药物、蛋白质和医学成像剂）递送至多种细胞中，这使得它们成为大分子递药应用的潜在工具，并深入了解穿过质膜的细胞内吞作用的机制。本综述探讨了 CPP 介导的哺乳动物和植物细胞中货物递呈的最新进展、挑战和未来前景。人们对 CPP-大分子复合物的肽化学和稳定性进行了研究。大多数 CPP 已被证明是无毒的，并且不会干扰递送至细胞膜另一侧的大分子的功能。CPP-货物复合物的摄取机制以及 CPP 本身穿过质膜的摄取机制仍未得到解决。随着 CPP 在哺乳动物和植物系统中的快速发展，将转导和转染应用于完整细胞的各种应用有着广阔的前景。
