近日，国际著名杂志Science在线刊登了国外研究人员的最新研究成果“Radio-Wave Heating of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Can Regulate Plasma Glucose in Mice，”，文章中，研究者揭示了他们发明的一种在活的生物体中开启某些基因的遥控形式的方法。
尽管该方法可能会在将来具有某些临床上的意义，但就目前而言，它主要是为人们提供了一种有趣的研究工具，用以在某个动物的组织中无需用药或其它侵入性的方法即可操纵基因的表达。
该Rube-Goldberg样的技术包括了将无线电波送入组织，使得埋置于细胞内的金属纳米颗粒被加热。对温度敏感的离子通道通过开放通道让离子流入细胞而做出反应，从而发送出一种引导标靶基因表达的化学信号。在其原理验证的研究中，Sarah Stanley及其同事们展示，这种方法可被用来产生一种细胞内的钙信号，它刺激某个经过设计的胰岛素基因的表达，从而带来培养细胞中的胰岛素的产生和释放。在表达有该经过设计的胰岛素基因的肿瘤的小鼠试验中，接触无线电波会引起小鼠体内的肿瘤分泌胰岛素并降低其血糖浓度。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1126/science.1216753
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Radio-Wave Heating of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Can Regulate Plasma Glucose in Mice
Sarah A. Stanley1, Jennifer E. Gagner2, Shadi Damanpour1, Mitsukuni Yoshida3, Jonathan S. Dordick4, Jeffrey M. Friedman1,5,*
Medical applications of nanotechnology typically focus on drug delivery and biosensors. Here, we combine nanotechnology and bioengineering to demonstrate that nanoparticles can be used to remotely regulate protein production in vivo. We decorated a modified temperature-sensitive channel, TRPV1, with antibody-coated iron oxide nanoparticles that are heated in a low-frequency magnetic field. When local temperature rises, TRPV1 gates calcium to stimulate synthesis and release of bioengineered insulin driven by a Ca2+-sensitive promoter. Studying tumor xenografts expressing the bioengineered insulin gene, we show that exposure to radio waves stimulates insulin release from the tumors and lowers blood glucose in mice. We further show that cells can be engineered to synthesize genetically encoded ferritin nanoparticles and inducibly release insulin. These approaches provide a platform for using nanotechnology to activate cells.
