Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Visualizing Membrane Ruffle Formation using Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: May 27, 2021
DNA conjugated SWCNTs enter endothelial cells via Rac1 mediated macropinocytosis
Santanu Bhattacharya1, Daniel Roxbury, Xun Gong
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Abstract:
Several applications of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) as nanovectors in biological systems have been reported, and several molecular pathways of cellular entry have been proposed. We employed transmission electron microscopy, confocal fluorescent microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopic analysis to confirm the internalization of DNA-SWCNT in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Additionally, by using pharmacological inhibitors as well as genetic approaches, we have found that SWCNT is endocytosed through Rac1- GTPase mediated macropinocytosis in normal endothelial cells.
Related Concept Videos
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
Selectins
Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
Pinocytosis
Pinocytosis ("cellular drinking") is one of three main types of endocytosis. In...
