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Nuclear targeted delivery has great potential in improving the efficiency of non-viral carrier mediated genome editing. However, direct and efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid into the nucleus remains a challenge. In this study, a nuclear targeted gene delivery platform based on fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was developed. Polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) synergistically passivated the surface of CQDs, providing an excitation-independent green-emitting fluorescent CQDs-PEI-PEG conjugate (CQDs-PP) with an ultra-small size and positive surface charge. Here we show that CQDs-PP could bind CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid to form a nano-complex by electrostatic attraction, which can bypass lysosomes and enter the nucleus by passive diffusion, and thereby improve the transfection efficiency. Also, CQDs-PP could deliver CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid into HeLa cells, resulting in the insertion/deletion mutation of the target EFHD1 gene. More importantly, CQDs-PP exhibited a considerably higher gene editing efficiency as well as comparable or lower cytotoxicity relative to Lipo2000 and PEI-passivated CQDs-PEI (CQDs-P). Thus, the nuclear-targeted CQDs-PP is expected to constitute an efficient CRISPR/Cas9 delivery carrier

The mechanism of the cycloaddition reaction of singlet stannylene and ethylene or formaldehyde has been studied by using density functional theory. The geometrical parameters, harmonic vibrational frequencies and energies of stationary points for potential energy surface are calculated by RB3LYP/3–21G* method. The results show that the two reaction processes are both two steps: (1) stannylene and ethylene or formaldehyde form an energy-rich intermediate complex respectively, which is an exothermal reaction with no barrier; (2) two intermediate complexes isomerize to the product, respectively, with the barriers of these two reactions being 52.97 and 45.15 kJ/mol at RB3LYP/3–21G* level.

The mechanism of cycloaddition reaction between singlet alkylidene carbene and ethylene has been investigated with second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2). By using 6–31G* basis, geometry optimization, vibrational analysis and energetics have been calculated for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface. The results show that the title reaction has two major competition channels. An energy-rich intermediate (INT) is firstly formed between alkylidene carbene and ethylene through a barrier-free exothermic reaction of 63.62 kJ/mol, and the intermediate then isomerizes to a three-membered ring product (Pl) and a four-membered ring product (P2) via transition state TS1 and TS2, in which energy barriers are 47.00 and 51.02 kl/mol. respectively. PI is the main product.

A new pH-induced vesicle composed of single surfactant, sodium bis-(2-ethyl hexyl) phosphate (NaDEHP), was prepared. Spontaneous vesicles form by varying the initial pH value from 6.0 to 3.0 in the NaDEHP aqueous solution which has been demonstrated by negative-staining transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods. The monodispersity of the vesicle system is quite well and the polydispersities are almost lower than 0.10. The vesicle formation is the consequence of charged and uncharged surfactant molecules coexisting at a certain pH values that form dimers through hydrogen bond, which have the appropriate geometry structure to engender bilayer vesicle.

A comparative study of CIDEP spectra was made using a highly time-resolved ESR spectrometer of photolyzed 1,4-naphthoquinone radicals in aqueous micellar solutions and O/W microemulsions, to determine the influence of different surfactant microenvironments on the photolysis of 1,4-naphthoquinone. It is concluded that the difference in the mechanism of the photolysis reaction could be attributed to the different solubilization location of 1,4-naphthoquinone molecules in micelles and microemulsions.

A study of chemically induced dynamic polarization (CIDEP) spectra was made, using a highly time resolved ESR (electronic spin resonance), of photolized anthracenequinone radicals (AQ ) to determine the influence of surfactant micelles on the spin polarization of anthracenequinone anion. It is found that the CIDEP mechanism of photolization is mainly the radical pair mechanism (RPM) of anthracenesemiquinone radical and of ethylene glycol ketyl R (OH) 2 or R radical whose center is carbon in anthracenequinone/ethylene glycol (EG) system, but there is a certain amount of triplet state mechanism polarization (TM).When surfactant TX-100 was added, the strongly polarized anthracenesemiquinone radicals were generated and the amount of polarization of the radical pairs decreased. Moreover, some anthrocenequinone anions, AQ − , were generated by the partly dissociated radicals. When the triethylamine (E t3 N) was added to EG solution, electrons were transferred between polarized triplet anthracenequinone and E t3 N. The later reaction was temperature sensitive.

Spontaneous vesicle formation has been observed in aqueous mixtures of tri-(N-dodecyldimethylhydroxypropylammonium chloride) phosphate (PTA) and bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT), which is supported by negative-staining TEM and dynamic light scattering. The range of vesicle formation in the PTA/AOT mixtures is wide and monodisperse vesicles are obtained. The vesicle diameter increases with the total surfactant concentration. Tubular microstructures, vesicle fusion, and vesicle-tubular microstructure transition have been also observed by negative-staining TEM. The vesicle formation mechanism is discussed from the viewpoint of molecular geometry, conformation, and the interaction between surfactant molecules.