DNA nanopore functionalized with aptamer and cell-penetrating peptide for tumor cell recognition

In the present work, DNA nanopore was composed of a bundle of six DNA duplexes folded from six DNA strands and functionalized with Ramos cell aptamer and cell-penetrating peptide (CPP). Herein, we present a unique dually conjugated molecule with an aptamer and cell-penetrating peptide for targeting and recognition of Ramos cells. The aptamer sequence was specific bound to Ramos cell, at the meanwhile the nanopore assembly was taken onto the surface of cell membrane and then got into the cells with the help of CPP. Specific targeting and increased intracellular uptake of nanostructures by Ramos cells were aimed. The intracellular uptake of the structure was determined using confocal microscopy. This study is the first to describe the recognition of tumor cells with functional DNA nanopores, establishing the foundation for the tumor cell detection with low cytotoxic agents. Graphical abstract DNA nanopore was composed of a bundle of six DNA duplexes folded from six DNA strands and functionalized with Ramos cell aptamer and cell-penetrating peptide. The dually conjugated molecule was found to show both improved cellular uptake and effective Ramos cell targeting.