Amphiphilic four-helix bundle peptides designed for light-induced electron transfer across a soft interface

Nano Lett. 2005 Sep;5(9):1658-67. doi: 10.1021/nl050542k.

Abstract

A family of four-helix bundle peptides were designed to be amphiphilic, possessing distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains along the length of the bundle's exterior. This facilitates their vectorial insertion across a soft interface between polar and nonpolar media. Their design also now provides for selective incorporation of electron donor and acceptor cofactors within each domain. This allows translation of the designed intramolecular electron transfer along the bundle axis into a macroscopic charge separation across the interface.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Drug Design
  • Electron Transport
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Static Electricity
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Peptides