Microinjection of DNA, proteins, or small organic molecules can damage and even kill recipient cells. To address this, Knoblauch and colleagues (p. 906) have developed a device that delivers femto- to attoliter-sized samples into prokaryotes and eukaryotic organelles while maintaining cell viability. Their approach relies on the heat-induced expansion of a liquid metal alloy called galinstan in a glass syringe of very small diameter and should prove useful for stable gene transfer to eukaryotic plastids.
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Frederickson, R. Plastid microinjection. Nat Biotechnol 17, 840 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/12816
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/12816