Real-Time Quantification of Cell Internalization Kinetics by Bioluminescent Probes

Abstract

Alongside the intracellular transport of nutrients needed for cellular homeostasis, great efforts exist to effectively deliver substances such as proteins and genes into the cell for therapy, gene editing, disease diagnosis, and more. To evaluate the intracellular delivery of such substances, conventional methods impose semi-quantifications and discrete measures of the dynamic process of cellular internalization. Herein, we detail the methods to quantify cell internalization kinetics in real-time using individually nano-encapsulated bioluminescent Firefly Luciferase (FLuc) enzymes as probes. We include a comprehensive protocol to synthesize and characterize the encapsulated FLuc, assay the real-time bioluminescence (BL) in cells, and analyze the real-time BL profile to extract key parameters of cell internalization kinetics. Quantifying the kinetics of intracellular delivery offers the opportunity to resolve the underlying mechanisms governing membrane translocation and provide measures reflecting cellular state and metabolism while playing a critical role in the clinical development of effective vectors.

Keywords: Bioluminescence (BL); Cell internalization kinetics; Firefly luciferase (FLuc); Nanocapsules; Real-time quantification.