Intracellular Transport Dynamics of Endosomes Containing DNA Polyplexes along the Microtubule Network

Abstract

We have explored the transport of DNA polyplexes enclosed in endosomes within the cellular environment by multiple particle tracking (MPT). The polyplex-loaded endosomes demonstrate enhanced diffusion at short timescales (t < 7 s) with their mean-square displacement (MSD) 〈Δx(t)^2〉 scaling as t^(1.25). For longer time intervals they exhibit subdiffusive transport and have an MSD scaling as t^(0.7). This crossover from an enhanced diffusion to a subdiffusive regime can be explained by considering the action of motor proteins that actively transport these endosomes along the cellular microtubule network and the thermal bending modes of the microtubule network itself.