Synthesis and studies on cell-penetrating peptides

Bioconjug Chem. 2009 Jul;20(7):1307-14. doi: 10.1021/bc900005j.

Abstract

The ability of different synthetic cell penetrating peptides, as Antennapedia (wild and Phe(6) mutated penetratins), flock house virus, and integrin peptides to form complexes with a 25mer antisense oligonucleotide was compared and their conformation was determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The efficiency for oligonucleotide delivery into cells was measured using peptides labeled with a coumarin derivative showing blue fluorescence and the fluorescein-labeled antisense oligonucleotide showing green fluorescence. Fluorescence due to the excitation energy transfer confirmed the interaction of the antisense oligonucleotide and cell-penetrating peptides. The most efficient oligonucleotide delivery was found for penetratins. Comparison of the two types of penetratins shows that the wild-type penetratin proved to be more efficient than mutated penetratin. The paper also emphasizes that the attachment of a fluorescent label may have an effect on the conformation and flexibility of cell-penetrating peptides that must be taken into consideration when evaluating biological experiments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Carrier Proteins / chemical synthesis
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / pharmacokinetics*
  • Cell Line, Transformed
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Down-Regulation
  • Drug Carriers / chemical synthesis
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry*
  • Drug Carriers / pharmacokinetics*
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / chemistry
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / genetics
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / pharmacokinetics*
  • Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / genetics*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Transport
  • Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1 / genetics*
  • RNA-Binding Protein EWS

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • Drug Carriers
  • EWS-FLI fusion protein
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • Oncogene Proteins, Fusion
  • Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1
  • RNA-Binding Protein EWS
  • penetratin