IFLYSIB   05383
INSTITUTO DE FISICA DE LIQUIDOS Y SISTEMAS BIOLOGICOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Cell Penetrating Peptides: How Do They Do It?
Autor/es:
HERCE, H. D., GARCIA, A. E.
Revista:
Journal of Biological Physics
Referencias:
Año: 2008
ISSN:
0092-0606
Resumen:
Cell penetrating peptides consist of short sequences of amino acids
containing a large net positive charge that are able to penetrate
almost any cell, carrying with them relatively large cargoes such as
proteins, oligonucleotides, and drugs. During the 10 years since their
discovery, the question of how they manage to translocate across the
membrane has remained unanswered. The main discussion has been centered
on whether they follow an energy-independent or an energy-dependent
pathway. Recently, we have discovered the possibility of an
energy-independent pathway that challenges fundamental concepts
associated with protein-membrane interactions (Herce and Garcia, PNAS,
104: 20805 (2007) [1]).
It involves the translocation of charged residues across the
hydrophobic core of the membrane and the passive diffusion of these
highly charged peptides across the membrane through the formation of
aqueous toroidal pores. The aim of this review is to discuss the
details of the mechanism and interpret some experimental results
consistent with this view.