Morphology-Dependent Biomolecule Delivery in Plants with Gold Nanoparticles
International Conference on Plant Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering
2019
3rd International Conference on Plant Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering, and Biotechnology
Poster Session
Poster Session
Friday, October 4, 2019 - 5:00pm to 6:00pm
A lack of heuristics in NP design for unassisted (non-biolistic) DNA, RNA, and protein delivery in plants limits a rational design-based approach for future developments in plant biomolecule delivery. To this end, we utilize DNA-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as model materials to elucidate the effect of NP morphology on internalization timescale, efficiency, and mode of uptake. We investigate the impact of NP morphology for fluorescent NP internalization into transgenic GFP Nicotiana benthamiana (GFP Nb) plant cells, demonstrating that size and shape are both internalization-determining parameters. By comparing NP fluorescence against cytosolic GFP fluorescence, we show nanorods experience peak internalization faster than nanospheres of a similar diameter. We then investigate endocytosis as a mechanism of NP uptake through the use of an endocytosis inhibitor, demonstrating morphology-dependent effects. Finally, we build upon morphology studies to deliver siRNA-loaded AuNPs to GFP Nb and demonstrate unassisted NP-based gene silencing in mature plants. Our study confirms that NP morphology impacts both time required for and extent of internalization, and confirms NP utility for biomolecule delivery in plants.