A ubiquitin-based assay for the cytosolic uptake of protein transduction domains

Evaluation of the Cytosolic Uptake of HaloTag Using a pH-Sensitive Dye

The efficient cytosolic delivery of proteins is critical for advancing novel therapeutic strategies. Current delivery methods are severely limited by endosomal entrapment, and detection methods lack sophistication in tracking the fate of delivered protein cargo. HaloTag, a commonly used protein in chemical biology and a challenging delivery target, is an exceptional model system for understanding and exploiting cellular delivery. Here, we employed a combinatorial strategy to direct HaloTag to the cytosol. We established the use of Virginia Orange, a pH-sensitive fluorophore, and Janelia Fluor 585, a similar but pH-agnostic fluorophore, in a fluorogenic assay to ascertain protein localization within human cells. Using this assay, we investigated HaloTag delivery upon modification with cell-penetrating peptides, carboxyl group esterification, and cotreatment with an endosomolytic agent. We found efficacious cytosolic entry with two distinct delivery methods. This study expands the toolkit for detecting the cytosolic access of proteins and highlights that multiple intracellular delivery strategies can be used synergistically to effect cytosolic access. Moreover, HaloTag is poised to serve as a platform for the delivery of varied cargo into human cells.

Endosomal escape for cell-targeted proteins. Going out after going in

Protein-based nanocarriers are versatile and biocompatible drug delivery systems. They are of particular interest in nanomedicine as they can recruit multiple functions in a single modular polypeptide. Many cell-targeting peptides or protein domains can promote cell uptake when included in these nanoparticles through receptor-mediated endocytosis. In that way, targeting drugs to specific cell receptors allows a selective intracellular delivery process, avoiding potential side effects of the payload. However, once internalized, the endo-lysosomal route taken by the engulfed material usually results in full degradation, preventing their adequate subcellular localization, bioavailability and subsequent therapeutic effect. Thus, entrapment into endo-lysosomes is a main bottleneck in the efficacy of protein-drug nanomedicines. Promoting endosomal escape and preventing lysosomal degradation would make this therapeutic approach clinically plausible. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms intended to evade lysosomal degradation of proteins, with the most relevant examples and associated strategies, and the methods available to measure that effect. In addition, based on the increasing catalogue of peptide domains tailored to face this challenge as components of protein nanocarriers, we emphasize how their particular mechanisms of action can potentially alter the functionality of accompanying protein materials, especially in terms of targeting and specificity in the delivery process.

Advances in peptide-mediated cytosolic delivery of proteins

The number of protein-based drugs is exponentially increasing. However, development of protein therapeutics against intracellular targets is hampered by the lack of efficient cytosolic delivery strategies. In recent years, the use of cell-penetrating peptides has been proposed as a strategy to promote protein internalization. In this article, we provide the reader with a succinct update on the strategies exploited to enable peptide-mediated cytosolic delivery of proteins. First, we analyse the various methods available for delivery. We then describe the most popular and the in vitro assays designed to assess the intracellular distribution of protein cargo.

In Vitro Assays: Friends or Foes of Cell-Penetrating Peptides

The cell membrane is a complex and highly regulated system that is composed of lipid bilayer and proteins. One of the main functions of the cell membrane is the regulation of cell entry. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are defined as peptides that can cross the plasma membrane and deliver their cargo inside the cell. The uptake of a peptide is determined by its sequence and biophysicochemical properties. At the same time, the uptake mechanism and efficiency are shown to be dependent on local peptide concentration, cell membrane lipid composition, characteristics of the cargo, and experimental methodology, suggesting that a highly efficient CPP in one system might not be as productive in another. To better understand the dependence of CPPs on the experimental system, we present a review of the in vitro assays that have been employed in the literature to evaluate CPPs and CPP-cargos. Our comprehensive review suggests that utilization of orthogonal assays will be more effective for deciphering the true ability of CPPs to translocate through the membrane and enter the cell cytoplasm.

Quantification of protein delivery in live cells using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a quantitative single-molecule method that measures the concentration and rate of diffusion of fluorophore-tagged molecules, both large and small, in vitro and within live cells, and even within discrete cellular compartments. FCS is exceptionally well-suited to directly quantify the efficiency of intracellular protein delivery-specifically, how well different "cell-penetrating" proteins and peptides guide proteinaceous materials into the cytosol and nuclei of live mammalian cells. This article provides an overview of the procedures necessary to execute robust FCS experiments and evaluate endosomal escape efficiencies: preparation of fluorophore-tagged proteins, incubation with mammalian cells and preparation of FCS samples, setup and execution of an FCS experiment, and a detailed discussion of and custom MATLAB® script for analyzing the resulting autocorrelation curves in the context of appropriate diffusion models.

Trapped! A Critical Evaluation of Methods for Measuring Total Cellular Uptake versus Cytosolic Localization

Biomolecules have many properties that make them promising for intracellular therapeutic applications, but delivery remains a key challenge because large biomolecules cannot easily enter the cytosol. Furthermore, quantification of total intracellular versus cytosolic concentrations remains demanding, and the determination of delivery efficiency is thus not straightforward. In this review, we discuss strategies for delivering biomolecules into the cytosol and briefly summarize the mechanisms of uptake for these systems. We then describe commonly used methods to measure total cellular uptake and, more selectively, cytosolic localization, and discuss the major advantages and drawbacks of each method. We critically evaluate methods of measuring "cell penetration" that do not adequately distinguish total cellular uptake and cytosolic localization, which often lead to inaccurate interpretations of a molecule's cytosolic localization. Finally, we summarize the properties and components of each method, including the main caveats of each, to allow for informed decisions about method selection for specific applications. When applied correctly and interpreted carefully, methods for quantifying cytosolic localization offer valuable insight into the bioactivity of biomolecules and potentially the prospects for their eventual development into therapeutics.

Enhanced Delivery of Synthetic Labelled Ubiquitin into Live Cells by Using Next-Generation Ub-TAT Conjugates

Proteins and other macromolecules can be delivered into live cells by noninvasive techniques using cell-penetrating peptides. These peptides are easily synthesised by solid-phase peptide synthesis and can be conjugated onto cargo molecules to mediate cellular delivery. We designed a TAT-based cell-penetrating ubiquitin (Ub) reagent by conjugating a dimeric disulfide-linked TAT peptide to the C terminus of a rhodamine-labelled Ub (RhoUb) protein. This reagent efficiently enters the cell by endocytosis and escapes from endosomes into the cytoplasm. Once the conjugate is inside the cytoplasm, the delivery vehicle is proteolytically removed by endogenous deubiquitinases (DUBs), at which point the intrinsic ubiquitination machinery is able to incorporate the RhoUb into ubiquitin conjugates. Our approach enables the controlled delivery of labelled or mutant Ub derivatives into cells, increasing our options for studying the ubiquitin system.

Where in the Cell Is our Cargo? Methods Currently Used To Study Intracellular Cytosolic Localisation

The internalisation and delivery of active substances into cells is a field of growing interest for chemical biology and therapeutics. As we move from small-molecule-based drugs towards bigger cargos, such as antibodies, enzymes, nucleases or nucleic acids, the development of efficient delivery systems becomes critical for their practical application. Different strategies and synthetic carriers have been developed; these include cationic lipids, gold nanoparticles, polymers, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), protein surface modification etc. However, all of these methodologies still present limitations relating to the precise targeting of the different intracellular compartments and, in particular, difficulties in access to the cellular cytosol. Additionally, the precise quantification of the cellular uptake of a compound is not enough to demonstrate delivery and/or functional activity. Therefore, methods to determine cellular distributions of cargos and carriers are of critical importance for identifying the barriers that are blocking the activity. Herein we survey the different techniques that can currently be used to track and to monitor the subcellular localisation of the synthetic compounds that we deliver inside cells.

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy Reveals Efficient Cytosolic Delivery of Protein Cargo by Cell-Permeant Miniature Proteins

New methods for delivering proteins into the cytosol of mammalian cells are being reported at a rapid pace. Differentiating between these methods in a quantitative manner is difficult, however, as most assays for evaluating cytosolic protein delivery are qualitative and indirect and thus often misleading. Here we make use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to determine with precision and accuracy the relative efficiencies with which seven different previously reported "cell-penetrating peptides" (CPPs) transport a model protein cargo-the self-labeling enzyme SNAP-tag-beyond endosomal membranes and into the cytosol. Using FCS, we discovered that the miniature protein ZF5.3 is an exceptional vehicle for delivering SNAP-tag to the cytosol. When delivered by ZF5.3, SNAP-tag can achieve a cytosolic concentration as high as 250 nM, generally at least 2-fold and as much as 6-fold higher than any other CPP evaluated. Additionally, we show that ZF5.3 can be fused to a second enzyme cargo-the engineered peroxidase APEX2-and reliably delivers the active enzyme to the cell interior. As FCS allows one to realistically assess the relative merits of protein transduction domains, we anticipate that it will greatly accelerate the identification, evaluation, and optimization of strategies to deliver large, intact proteins to intracellular locales.

Current Challenges in Delivery and Cytosolic Translocation of Therapeutic RNAs

RNA interference (RNAi) is a fundamental cellular process for the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. RNAi can exogenously be modulated by small RNA oligonucleotides, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), or by antisense oligonucleotides. These small oligonucleotides provided the scientific community with powerful and versatile tools to turn off the expression of genes of interest, and hold out the promise of new therapeutic solutions against a wide range of gene-associated pathologies. However, unmodified nucleic acids are highly instable in biological systems, and their weak interaction with plasma proteins confers an unfavorable pharmacokinetics. In this review, we first provide an overview of the most efficient chemical strategies that, over the past 30 years, have been used to significantly improve the therapeutic potential of oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides targeting and delivery technologies are then presented, including covalent conjugates between oligonucleotides and targeting ligand, and noncovalent association with lipid or polymer nanoparticles. Finally, we specifically focus on the endosomal escape step, which represents a major stumbling block for the effective use of oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents. The need for approaches to quantitatively measure endosomal escape and cytosolic arrival of biomolecules is discussed in the context of the development of efficient oligonucleotide targeting and delivery vectors.

Nanoparticle mediated delivery and small molecule triggered activation of proteins in the nucleus

Protein transfection is a versatile tool to study or manipulate cellular processes and also shows great therapeutic potential. However, the repertoire of cost effective techniques for efficient and minimally cytotoxic delivery remains limited. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are multifunctional nanocarriers for cellular delivery of a wide range of molecules, they are simple and economical to synthesize and have shown great promise for protein delivery. In this work we present a general strategy to optimize the delivery of active protein to the nucleus. We generated a bimolecular Venus based optical sensor that exclusively detects active and bioavailable protein for the performance of multi-parameter optimization of protein delivery. In conjunction with cell viability tests we maximized MSN protein delivery and biocompatibility and achieved highly efficient protein transfection rates of 80%. Using the sensor to measure live-cell protein delivery kinetics, we observed heterogeneous timings within cell populations which could have a confounding effect on function studies. To address this problem we fused a split or dimerization dependent protein of interest to chemically induced dimerization (CID) components, permitting control over its activity following cellular delivery. Using the split Venus protein we directly show that addition of a small molecule dimerizer causes synchronous activation of the delivered protein across the entire cell population. This combination of cellular delivery and triggered activation provides a defined starting point for functional studies and could be applied to other protein transfection methods.

Chimeric peptide-mediated siRNA transduction to inhibit HIV-1 infection

Persistent human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection provokes immune activation and depletes CD4⁺lymphocytes, leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Uninterrupted administration of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in HIV-infected patients suppresses viral replication to below the detectable level and partially restores the immune system. However, cART-unresponsive residual HIV-1 infection and elusive transcriptionally silent but reactivatable viral reservoirs maintain a permanent viral DNA blue print. The virus rebounds within a few weeks after interruption of suppressive therapy. Adjunct gene therapy to control viral replication by ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional gene silencing strategy that could suppress residual HIV-1 burden and overcome viral resistance. Small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) are efficient transcriptional inhibitors, but need delivery systems to reach inside target cells. We investigated the potential of chimeric peptide (FP-PTD) to deliver specific siRNAs to HIV-1-susceptible and permissive cells. Chimeric FP-PTD peptide was designed with an RNA binding domain (PTD) to bind siRNA and a cell fusion peptide domain (FP) to enter cells. FP-PTD-siRNA complex entered and inhibited HIV-1 replication in susceptible cells, and could be a candidate for in vivo testing.

A bacterial type III secretion-based protein delivery tool for broad applications in cell biology

Methods enabling the delivery of proteins into eukaryotic cells are essential to address protein functions. Here we propose broad applications to cell biology for a protein delivery tool based on bacterial type III secretion (T3S). We show that bacterial, viral, and human proteins, fused to the N-terminal fragment of the Yersinia enterocolitica T3S substrate YopE, are effectively delivered into target cells in a fast and controllable manner via the injectisome of extracellular bacteria. This method enables functional interaction studies by the simultaneous injection of multiple proteins and allows the targeting of proteins to different subcellular locations by use of nanobody-fusion proteins. After delivery, proteins can be freed from the YopE fragment by a T3S-translocated viral protease or fusion to ubiquitin and cleavage by endogenous ubiquitin proteases. Finally, we show that this delivery tool is suitable to inject proteins in living animals and combine it with phosphoproteomics to characterize the systems-level impact of proapoptotic human truncated BID on the cellular network.

GFP-complementation assay to detect functional CPP and protein delivery into living cells

Efficient cargo uptake is essential for cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) therapeutics, which deliver widely diverse cargoes by exploiting natural cell processes to penetrate the cell’s membranes. Yet most current CPP activity assays are hampered by limitations in assessing uptake, including confounding effects of conjugated fluorophores or ligands, indirect read-outs requiring secondary processing, and difficulty in discriminating internalization from endosomally trapped cargo. Split-complementation Endosomal Escape (SEE) provides the first direct assay visualizing true cytoplasmic-delivery of proteins at biologically relevant concentrations. The SEE assay has minimal background, is amenable to high-throughput processes, and adaptable to different transient and stable cell lines. This split-GFP-based platform can be useful to study transduction mechanisms, cellular imaging, and characterizing novel CPPs as pharmaceutical delivery agents in the treatment of disease.

Efficient cell-specific uptake of binding proteins into the cytoplasm through engineered modular transport systems

Through advances in protein scaffold engineering and selection technologies, highly specific binding proteins, which fold under reducing conditions, can be generated against virtually all targets. Despite tremendous therapeutic opportunities, intracellular applications are hindered by difficulties associated with achieving cytosolic delivery, compounded by even correctly measuring it. Here, we addressed cytosolic delivery systematically through the development of a biotin ligase-based assay that objectively quantifies cytosolic delivery in a generic fashion. We developed modular transport systems that consist of a designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) for receptor targeting and a different DARPin for intracellular recognition and a bacterial toxin-derived component for cytosolic translocation. We show that both anthrax pores and the translocation domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (ETA) efficiently deliver DARPins into the cytosol. We found that the cargo must not exceed a threshold thermodynamic stability for anthrax pores, which can be addressed by engineering, while the ETA pathway does not appear to have this restriction.

Protein delivery using Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domains

The development of new methods for delivering proteins into cells is a central challenge for advancing both basic research and therapeutic applications. We previously reported that zinc-finger nuclease proteins are intrinsically cell-permeable due to the cell-penetrating activity of the Cys2-His2 zinc-finger domain. Here, we demonstrate that genetically fused zinc-finger motifs can transport proteins and enzymes into a wide range of primary and transformed mammalian cell types. We show that zinc-finger domains mediate protein uptake at efficiencies that exceed conventional protein transduction systems and do so without compromising enzyme activity. In addition, we demonstrate that zinc-finger proteins enter cells primarily through macropinocytosis and facilitate high levels of cytosolic delivery. These findings establish zinc-finger proteins as not only useful tools for targeted genome engineering but also effective reagents for protein delivery.

Improving the endosomal escape of cell-penetrating peptides and their cargos: strategies and challenges

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) can deliver cell-impermeable therapeutic cargos into cells. In particular, CPP-cargo conjugates tend to accumulate inside cells by endocytosis. However, they often remain trapped inside endocytic organelles and fail to reach the cytosolic space of cells efficiently. In this review, the evidence for CPP-mediated endosomal escape is discussed. In addition, several strategies that have been utilized to enhance the endosomal escape of CPP-cargos are described. The recent development of branched systems that display multiple copies of a CPP is presented. The use of viral or synthetic peptides that can disrupt the endosomal membrane upon activation by the low pH of endosomes is also discussed. Finally, we survey how CPPs labeled with chromophores can be used in combination with light to stimulate endosomal lysis. The mechanisms and challenges associated with these intracellular delivery methodologies are discussed.

Potent delivery of functional proteins into Mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo using a supercharged protein

The inability of proteins to potently penetrate mammalian cells limits their usefulness as tools and therapeutics. When fused to superpositively charged GFP, proteins rapidly (within minutes) entered five different types of mammalian cells with potency up to ∼100-fold greater than that of corresponding fusions with known protein transduction domains (PTDs) including Tat, oligoarginine, and penetratin. Ubiquitin-fused supercharged GFP when incubated with human cells was partially deubiquitinated, suggesting that proteins delivered with supercharged GFP can access the cytosol. Likewise, supercharged GFP delivered functional, nonendosomal recombinase enzyme with greater efficiencies than PTDs in vitro and also delivered functional recombinase enzyme to the retinae of mice when injected in vivo.

Intracellular delivery of peptides via association with ubiquitin or SUMO-1 coupled to protein transduction domains

Background

We previously developed small hybrid proteins consisting of SUMO-1 linked to an heptapeptide fused to the Tat protein transduction domain (PTD). The heptapeptide motif was selected from a library of random sequences to specifically bind HIV-1 regulatory proteins Tat or Rev. These constructs, named SHP, are able to enter primary lymphocytes and some of them inhibit HIV-1 replication. Considering these positive results and other data from the literature, we further tested the ability of ubiquitin or SUMO-1 linked to various PTD at their N-terminus to deliver within cells proteins or peptides fused downstream of their diglycine motif. In this system it is expected that the intracellular ubiquitin or SUMO-1 hydrolases cleave the PTD-Ub or PTD-SUMO-1 modules from the cargo polypeptide, thereby allowing its delivery under an unmodified form.

Results

Several bacterial expression vectors have been constructed to produce modular proteins containing from the N- to the C-terminus: the FLAG epitope, a cleavage site for a protease, a PTD, human ubiquitin or SUMO-1, and either GFP or the HA epitope. Nine different PTDs were tested, including the Tat basic domain, wild type or with various mutations, and stretches of arginine or lysine. It was observed that some of these PTDs, mainly the Tat PTD and seven or nine residues long polyarginine motifs, caused association of the hybrid proteins with cells, but none of these constructs were delivered to the cytosol. This conclusion was derived from biochemical and immunofluorescence studies, and also from the fact that free cargo protein resulting from cleavage by proteases after ubiquitin or SUMO-1 was never observed. However, in agreement with our previous observations, mutation of the diglycine motif into alanine-arginine, as in the SHP constructs, allows cytosol entry demonstrated by immunofluorescence observations on living cells and by cell fractionation analyses. This process results from a non-endocytic pathway.

Conclusion

Our observations indicate that fusion of SUMO-1 to a peptide-PTD module allows generation of a stable hybrid protein that is easily produced in bacteria and which efficiently enters into cells but this property necessitates mutation of the diglycine motif at the end of SUMO-1, thereby impairing delivery of the peptide alone.

TAT transduction: the molecular mechanism and therapeutic prospects

Research into the mechanism of protein transduction has undergone a renaissance in the past five years as many groups have sought to understand the behavior of transducing peptides to harness their enormous therapeutic and diagnostic potential. The field has benefited greatly from rigorous cell biological and biophysical studies of the mechanism used by cell penetrating peptides to enter cells and deliver their cargo. The recent identification of fluid phase endocytosis as the mode of cellular entry for TAT and other protein transduction domains has enhanced our understanding of how transduction facilitates intracellular delivery. Many outstanding questions and contradictions still remain to be resolved in the field. Nevertheless, the current body of work regarding the mechanism of uptake gives a much clearer picture of how these macromolecules enter cells and how we might enhance the bioavailability to take advantage of them clinically.

Genetic incorporation of the protein transduction domain of Tat into Ad5 fiber enhances gene transfer efficacy

Background

Human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) has been widely explored as a gene delivery vector for a variety of diseases. Many target cells, however, express low levels of Ad5 native receptor, the Coxsackie-Adenovirus Receptor (CAR), and thus are resistant to Ad5 infection. The Protein Transduction Domain of the HIV Tat protein, namely PTD_tat, has been shown to mediate protein transduction in a wide range of cells. We hypothesize that re-targeting Ad5 vector via the PTD_tat motif would improve the efficacy of Ad5-mediated gene delivery.

Results

In this study, we genetically incorporated the PTD_tat motif into the knob domain of Ad5 fiber, and rescued the resultant viral vector, Ad5.PTD_tat. Our data showed the modification did not interfere with Ad5 binding to its native receptor CAR, suggesting Ad5 infection via the CAR pathway is retained. In addition, we found that Ad5.PTD_tat exhibited enhanced gene transfer efficacy in all of the cell lines that we have tested, which included both low-CAR and high-CAR decorated cells. Competitive inhibition assays suggested the enhanced infectivity of Ad5.PTD_tat was mediated by binding of the positively charged PTD_tat peptide to the negatively charged epitopes on the cells' surface. Furthermore, we investigated in vivo gene delivery efficacy of Ad5.PTD_tat using subcutaneous tumor models established with U118MG glioma cells, and found that Ad5.PTD_tat exhibited enhanced gene transfer efficacy compared to unmodified Ad5 vector as analyzed by a non-invasive fluorescence imaging technique.

Conclusion

Genetic incorporation of the PTD_tat motif into Ad5 fiber allowed Ad5 vectors to infect cells via an alternative PTD_tat targeting motif while retaining the native CAR-mediated infection pathway. The enhanced infectivity was demonstrated in both cultured cells and in in vivo tumor models. Taken together, our study identifies a novel tropism expanded Ad5 vector that may be useful for clinical gene therapy applications.

Stress-Induced Retrotranslocation of Clusterin/ApoJ into the Cytosol

Clusterin is a usually secreted glycoprotein with chaperone properties. Recently, it has been suggested that clusterin isoforms reside in the nuclear and cytosolic compartments of human cell types, where they can influence various cellular programs including DNA repair, transcription and apoptosis. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this atypical location, including alternative transcription initiation and alternative splicing. However, none of these have been unequivocally established as occurring in live cells. Here we provide direct experimental evidence that in live intact cells, under certain stress conditions, clusterin can evade the secretion pathway and reach the cytosol. This was demonstrated using several complementary approaches. Flow cytometry and selective permeabilization of U251 cell membranes with digitonin allowed detection of cytosolic clusterin in stressed U251 cells. In addition, a stringent enzymatic assay reliant upon the exclusively cytosolic deubiquitinase enzymes confirmed that clusterin synthesized with its hydrophobic secretion signal sequence can reach the cytosol of U251 cells. The retrotranslocation of clusterin is likely to occur through a mechanism similar to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated protein degradation pathway and involves passage through the Golgi apparatus. We also report that the ER-associated ubiquitin ligase Hrd1/synoviolin can interact with, and ubiquitinate clusterin. The possible biological functions of these novel behaviours of clusterin are discussed.

The taming of the cell penetrating domain of the HIV Tat: myths and realities

Protein transduction with cell penetrating peptides over the past several years has been shown to be an effective way of delivering proteins in vitro and now several reports have also shown valuable in vivo applications in correcting disease states. An impressive bioinspired phenomenon of crossing biological barriers came from HIV transactivator Tat protein. Specifically, the protein transduction domain of HIV Tat has been shown to be a potent pleiotropic peptide in protein delivery. Various approaches such as molecular modeling, arginine guanidinium head group structural strategy, multimerization of PTD sequence and phage display system have been applied for taming of the PTD. This has resulted in identification of PTD variants which are efficient in cell membrane penetration and cytoplasmic delivery. In spite of these state of the art technologies, the dilemma of low protein transduction efficiency and target specific delivery of PTD fusion proteins remains unsolved. Moreover, some misconceptions about PTD of Tat in the literature require considerations. We have assembled critical information on secretory, plasma membrane penetration and transcellular properties of Tat and PTD using molecular analysis and available experimental evidences.

Ubiquitin fusion technique and related methods

The ubiquitin fusion technique, developed in 1986, is still the method of choice for producing a desired N-terminal residue in a protein of interest in vivo. This technique is also used as a tool for protein expression. Over the past two decades, several otherwise unrelated methods were invented that have in common the use of ubiquitin fusions as a component of design. I describe the original ubiquitin fusion technique, its current applications, and other methods that use the properties of ubiquitin fusions.