Superior cell penetration by a rigid and anisotropic synthetic protein

Langmuir. 2015 Mar 10;31(9):2826-32. doi: 10.1021/la504494x. Epub 2015 Feb 24.

Abstract

Molecules with structural anisotropy and rigidity, such as asbestos, demonstrate high cell-penetrating activity but also high toxicity. Here we synthesize a biodegradable, rigid, and fibrous artificial protein, CCPC 140, as a potential vehicle for cellular delivery. CCPC 140 penetrated 100% of cells tested in vitro, even at a concentration of 3.1 nM-superior to previously reported cell-penetrating peptides. The effects of cell-strain-dependency and aspect ratio on the cell-penetrating activity of CCPC 140 were also investigated.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anisotropy
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides / chemical synthesis
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides / chemistry*
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides / metabolism
  • Drug Carriers / chemical synthesis
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Carriers / metabolism
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mechanical Phenomena
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Rabbits
  • Tropomyosin / chemistry

Substances

  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • Drug Carriers
  • Tropomyosin