Simultaneous intracellular delivery of targeting antibodies and functional nanoparticles with engineered protein G system

Abstract Cellular internalization of functional nanoparticles that have optical and magnetic properties is very important in the cellular imaging and manipulation of specifically targeted biomolecules. In this study, a robust method to deliver functional nanoparticles and targeting antibodies into cells was suggested. The engineered protein G system, which contains an affinity tag and a cell penetration peptide in the N- and C-terminals, respectively, can capture surface-modified nanoparticles and antibodies without chemical reaction, and then non-invasively deliver them into the cells. Finally, gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle/engineered protein G hybrid systems were successfully employed as multifunctional cargo systems for the targeting, imaging, and manipulation of mitochondria.