Patent ID: 8420891

Claim:
A method for introducing a foreign substance into a plant cell having a cell wall, the method comprising: preparing short-chain carbon nanotubes with an average length of 1 μm or less carrying at least one kind of cellulase that is chemically bound to the carbon nanotubes; preparing a foreign substance to be introduced into a plant cell, wherein the foreign substance is separately prepared from the cellulase-carrying nanotubes; supplying the cellulase-carrying carbon nanotubes and the foreign substance to a treatment object containing the plant cell; forming a nano-hole in the cell wall of the plant cell by an action of the cellulase carried on the carbon nanotubes upon contact of the carbon nanotubes with the plant cell; and introducing the cellulase-carrying carbon nanotubes together with the foreign substance into the plant cell through the nano-hole in the cell wall; wherein the foreign substance is selected from the group consisting of polynucleotides, oligopeptides, polypeptides, proteins, lipids, saccharides, complexes of DNA with polypeptides, particulate metals or metal compounds, and ceramics.