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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Peptide-derived Method to Transport Genes and Proteins Across Cellular and Organellar Barriers in Plants
Published on: December 16, 2016
Cellular uptake of cell-penetrating peptides pVEC and transportan in plants
Archana Chugh1, François Eudes
1Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada.
Abstract:
Internalization of fluorescently labeled CPPs, pVEC, transportan and scrambled pVEC, in a range of plant cells was investigated. Cellular uptake of the peptides was found to be tissue dependent. pVEC and transportan were distinctly internalized in triticale mesophyll protoplasts, onion epidermal cells, leaf bases and root tips of seven-day old triticale seedlings but showed negligible florescence in coleoptile and leaf tips as observed under a fluorescence microscope. Further, pVEC and transportan uptake studies were focused on mesophyll protoplasts as a system of investigation. In fluorimetric studies transportan showed 2.3 times higher cellular internalization than pVEC in protoplasts, whereas scrambled pVEC failed to show any significant fluorescence. Effect of various factors on cellular internalization of pVEC and transportan in protoplasts was also investigated. The cellular uptake of both the peptides was concentration dependent and nonsaturable. The cellular uptake of pVEC and transportan was enhanced at low temperature (4 degrees C). The presence of endocytic/macropinocytosis inhibitors did not reduce the cellular uptake of the peptides, suggesting direct cell penetration, receptor-independent internalization of pVEC and transportan into the plant cells.
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