dfTAT – TAT Conjugated Peptides

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) conjugated to biomolecular cargo can provide targeted molecular treatments. This could be revolutionary for numerous conditions such as cancer, muscular dystrophy and many more. CPP often use the endosomal system to enter the cell. Still, they vary in their ability to escape the endosome allowing the cargo to reach its intended area within the cell. Most CPP activity escaping the endosome is weak, and the method is unclear. Dimeric fluorescent TAT (dfTAT) is a CPP composed of 2 TAT peptides with an N-terminal fluorophore tetramethylrhodamine. When incubated with cells, it shows a cytosolic localisation. A simple co-incubation method of dfTAT with a cargo results in efficient endosomal leakage and release of the cargo to the cytosol. dfTAT has been shown to efficiently deliver a wide variety of cargos to the cell, including transcription factors, antibodies, and metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles. One of the significant advantages of using dfTAT is that the co-incubation method of delivery allows dfTAT, and the cargo can be added as separate entities. This enables the controlled titration of material into cells through the modulation of cargo concentration independent of dfTAT.