Proteofection

When using the proteofection method, proteins are directly transferred into cells. Protein delivery into living cells is an alternative to nucleic acid transfection, and a strong strategy for functional studies and therapeutic approaches.

After proteofection, the proteins remain structurally and functionally unchanged and can act directly inside the cells. Innovative new proteofection reagents have opened up many research possibilities in the growing field of proteomics, where scientists perform research on complex molecular mechanisms, or are developing potential new treatments. For example, intra-cellular transport of a protein that is responsible for apoptosis can help in the research of programmed cell death mechanisms and drug resistance.

Applications include:

• Protein localization through fluorescent antibodies
• Competitive inhibition of proteins
• Protein studies in knockdown cells

The PROTEOfectene^® reagents (Biontex Laboratories GmbH) were developed to enable the direct uptake of proteins and antibodies through the lipid membrane of cells by endocytosis. Both PROTEOfectene^® and PROTEOfectene^® AB are lipid-based formulas that form non-covalent complexes with proteins and antibodies, respectively. These complexes can be absorbed through cells and released into the cytoplasm. The structure and function of the proteins or antibodies delivered into the cells typically remain unchanged. However, keep in mind that in all cases, the efficiency of proteofection relies strongly on the peptides and proteins used in the experiment.

ibidi’s µ-Proteofection Kit VI (AB) contains µ-Slides VI ^0.4 and the PROTEOfectene^® reagent, which is optimized for protein insertion, or the PROTEOfectene^®  AB reagent, which is optimized for antibody insertion. As in the µ-Transfection Kit VI, you can do cell-culture, protein uptake, and microscopy all in one slide.