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Chau CC, Maffeo CM, Aksimentiev A, Radford SE, Hewitt EW, Actis P. Single molecule delivery into living cells. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4403. [PMID: 38782907 PMCID: PMC11116494 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48608-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Controlled manipulation of cultured cells by delivery of exogenous macromolecules is a cornerstone of experimental biology. Here we describe a platform that uses nanopipettes to deliver defined numbers of macromolecules into cultured cell lines and primary cells at single molecule resolution. In the nanoinjection platform, the nanopipette is used as both a scanning ion conductance microscope (SICM) probe and an injection probe. The SICM is used to position the nanopipette above the cell surface before the nanopipette is inserted into the cell into a defined location and to a predefined depth. We demonstrate that the nanoinjection platform enables the quantitative delivery of DNA, globular proteins, and protein fibrils into cells with single molecule resolution and that delivery results in a phenotypic change in the cell that depends on the identity of the molecules introduced. Using experiments and computational modeling, we also show that macromolecular crowding in the cell increases the signal-to-noise ratio for the detection of translocation events, thus the cell itself enhances the detection of the molecules delivered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chalmers C Chau
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
- School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
- Bragg Centre for Materials Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Christopher M Maffeo
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Aleksei Aksimentiev
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Sheena E Radford
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Eric W Hewitt
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Paolo Actis
- School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
- Bragg Centre for Materials Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Xu X, Valavanis D, Ciocci P, Confederat S, Marcuccio F, Lemineur JF, Actis P, Kanoufi F, Unwin PR. The New Era of High-Throughput Nanoelectrochemistry. Anal Chem 2023; 95:319-356. [PMID: 36625121 PMCID: PMC9835065 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiangdong Xu
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | | | - Paolo Ciocci
- Université
Paris Cité, ITODYS, CNRS, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Samuel Confederat
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.,Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
| | - Fabio Marcuccio
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.,Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.,Faculty
of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paolo Actis
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.,Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.,
| | | | - Patrick R. Unwin
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.,
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Methods for protein delivery into cells: from current approaches to future perspectives. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:357-365. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20190039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The manipulation of cultured mammalian cells by the delivery of exogenous macromolecules is one of the cornerstones of experimental cell biology. Although the transfection of cells with DNA expressions constructs that encode proteins is routine and simple to perform, the direct delivery of proteins into cells has many advantages. For example, proteins can be chemically modified, assembled into defined complexes and subject to biophysical analyses prior to their delivery into cells. Here, we review new approaches to the injection and electroporation of proteins into cultured cells. In particular, we focus on how recent developments in nanoscale injection probes and localized electroporation devices enable proteins to be delivered whilst minimizing cellular damage. Moreover, we discuss how nanopore sensing may ultimately enable the quantification of protein delivery at single-molecule resolution.
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