Fig. 6.

Cell phenotypes induced by phalodin transport. (a) Phase-contrast images of HeLa cells incubated (for 1 h) with pHLIP–S–S–Ph–TRITC (1 μM) at pH 6.5 and 7.4 followed by washing with PBS (pH 7.4) before (Left) and 5 min after adding of the dissociation solution (Right). Cells treated with the peptide–phalloidin at low pH remained unchanged, consistent with stabilization of the cytoskeleton by Ph–TRITC delivered by the pHLIP. (b) Fluorescence images of nuclei stained with DAPI (0.5 μM) and corresponding phase-contrast images of the multinucleated HeLa cells are presented. Multinucleation was observed at 48 h after treatment of cells with of pHLIP–S–S–Ph–TRITC (1 μM) at pH 6.5 for 1 h.