Engineering Female Germline Stem Cells with Exocytotic Polymer Dots

Abstract

Germline stem cells (GSCs) are the only cell population capable of passing genetic information to offspring, making them attractive targets in reproductive biology and fertility research. However, it is generally more difficult to introduce exogenous biomolecules into GSCs than other cell types, impeding the exploration and manipulation of these cells for biomedical purposes. Herein, semiconductor polymer dots (Pdots)‐based nanocomplex Pdot‐siRNA is developed and achieves effective knockdown of target genes in female germline stem cells (FGSCs). Advantage of high fluorescence brightness of Pdots is taken for comprehensive investigation of their cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and exocytosis in FGSCs. Importantly, Pdots show excellent biocompatibility and minimally disturb the differentiation of FGSCs. Intracellular Pdots escape from the lysosomes and undergo active exocytosis, which makes them ideal nanocarriers for bioactive cargos. Moreover, Pdot‐siRNA can penetrate into 3D ovarian organoids derived from FGSCs and down‐regulate the expression levels of target genes. This study investigates the interface between a type of theranostic nanoparticles and FGSCs for the first time and sheds light on the manipulation and medical application of FGSCs.

Enhancing NIR-II Imaging and Photothermal Therapy for Improved Oral Cancer Theranostics by Combining TICT and Aggregation-Induced Emission

“…Compared with doped materials composed of separate functional molecules, the simplicity and reproducibility of developing multifunctional molecules capable of combining diagnostic and therapeutic functions within a single component make them highly suitable. Organic theranostic agents have gained significant attention and surpassed inorganic theranostic agents, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, 30 rare-earth-doped nanoparticles, 31 and semiconductor quantum dots, 32 in terms of research quantity. This is primarily due to their distinct advantages, including well-defined structures, high stability, and excellent biocompatibility.…”

“…Compared with doped materials composed of separate functional molecules, the simplicity and reproducibility of developing multifunctional molecules capable of combining diagnostic and therapeutic functions within a single component make them highly suitable. Organic theranostic agents have gained significant attention and surpassed inorganic theranostic agents, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, rare-earth-doped nanoparticles, and semiconductor quantum dots, in terms of research quantity. This is primarily due to their distinct advantages, including well-defined structures, high stability, and excellent biocompatibility. − However, traditional organic small molecule probes, like indocyanine green (ICG), often suffer from a phenomenon known as “aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ)”, which results in significant fluorescence (FL) quenching due to π–π stacking when they aggregate. , Consequently, their FL intensity is notably reduced, posing limitations on their applications .…”

Dual-mode optical biosensor based on multi-functional DNA structures for detecting bioactive small molecules

“…15,16 In recent years, Pdots have been widely applied in many biological a College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Shandong fields, including super-resolution cell imaging, in vivo imaging, and phototherapy. 17,18 In addition, due to their small size and easy surface functionalization, Pdots can be conjugated with various biomolecules (e.g. proteins, antibodies, and DNA).…”