BACTENECINS AS CELL-PENETRATING PEPTIDES

Abstract

Cell-Penetrating Peptides (CPPs) are molecules that can easily internalize into eukaryotic cells, as well as deliver across their membranes a variety of compounds (proteins, nucleic acids, liposomes, nanoparticles, etc.). CPPs are considered as promising components of anticancer drugs, serving for delivery of active ingredients into malignant cells, therefore, a detailed study of a mechanism of action of CPPs and search for novel, more effective peptides are vital tasks of current biological and medical research. An ability of proline-rich peptides bactenecins (ChBac5, ChBac3.4, mini-ChBac7.5Na) and their truncated variants to penetrate into eukaryotic cells has been explored. By means of flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, we found that these peptides, tagged with a fluorescent dye BODIPY FL, rapidly penetrated into tumor cells and, to a lesser extent, into normal mammalian cells in vitro. The dependence of the internalization process on the medium temperature and energy metabolism of target cells was studied. The obtained data on the cell-penetratin activity of caprine bactenecins confirm the prospect of further investigations of these peptides as prototypes of new compounds - carriers of drugs into malignant or infected cells.

Keywords

caprine bactenecins / proline-rich peptides / Cell-Penetrating Peptides

References

[1] Reissmann S. Cell penetration: scope and limitations by the application of cell-penetrating peptides. J. Pept Sci. 2014;20(10):760-784.

[2] Splith K, Neundorf I. Antimicrobial peptides with cell-penetrating peptide properties and vice versa. Eur. Biophys. J. 2011;40:387-397.

[3] Shamova OV, Orlov DS, Zharkova MS, et al. Minibactenecins ChBac7.Nα and ChBac7.Nβ - antimicrobial peptides from leukocytes of the goat Capra hircus. Acta Naturae. 2016;8(3):136-146.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Shamova O.V., Nazarov A.S., Kopeykin P.M., Kudryavtsev I.V., Grudinina N.A., Andreeva E.A., Milman B.L., Orlov D.S.