Photothermal-Responsive Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Remote Control of Gene Expression in Living Cells

Remote control and noninvasive manipulation of cellular bioprocess has received intensive attention as a powerful technology to control cell functions. Here, a strategy is developed to remotely control intracellular gene expression with high spatial and temporal resolutions by using photothermal-responsive conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) as the transducer under near-infrared light irradiation. After being modified with positive charged peptide, the CPNs with superior photothermal conversion capacity could effectively coat on the surface of living cells and generate localized heat to trigger target gene expression. The heat-inducible heat shock protein-70 promoter starts transcription of downstream EGFP gene in response to heat shock, thus producing green fluorescent protein in the living cells. The combination of heat-inducible gene promoter and photothermal-responsive CPNs provides a method for the development of thermogenetics.