Protein cage architectures such as virus capsids and ferritins are versatile nanoscale platfor
msa
menable to both genetic and che
mical
modification. Incorporation of
multiple functionalities within thesenano
meter-sized protein architectures de
monstrate their potential to serve as functional nano
materials withapplications in
medical i
maging and therapy. In the present study, we synthesized an iron oxide (
magnetite)nanoparticle within the interior cavity of a genetically engineered hu
man H-chain ferritin (HFn). A cell-specific targeting peptide, RGD-4C which binds
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3 integrins upregulated on tu
mor vasculature, wasgenetically incorporated on the exterior surface of HFn. Both
magnetite-containing and fluorescently labeledRGD4C-Fn cages bound C32
melano
ma cells in vitro. Together these results de
monstrate the capabilityof a genetically
modified protein cage architecture to serve as a
multifunctional nanoscale container forsi
multaneous iron oxide loading and cell-specific targeting.