The primate-specific peptide Y-P30 regulates morphological maturation of neocortical dendritic spines.

The 30-amino acid peptide Y-P30 corresponds to the N-terminus of the primate-specific, sweat gland-derived dermcidin prepropeptide. Previous work has revealed that Y-P30 enhances the interaction of pleiotrophin and syndecans-2/3, and thus represents a natural ligand to study this signaling pathway. In immature neurons, Y-P30 activates the c-Src and p42/44 ERK kinase pathway, increases the amount of F-actin in axonal growth cones, and promotes neuronal survival, cell migration and axonal elongation.

PepFect6 Mediated SiRNA Delivery into Organotypic Cultures.

Gene silencing by small interfering RNA (SiRNA) is an attractive therapeutic approach for pathological disorders that targets a specific gene. However, its applications are limited, as naked RNA is rapidly degraded by RNases and is inadequately internalized by the target cells in the body. Several viral and nonviral vectors have been described to improve the delivery of SiRNAs both in cultured cells as well as in vivo.

Y-P30 promotes axonal growth by stabilizing growth cones.

The 30-amino acid peptide Y-P30, generated from the N-terminus of the human dermcidin precursor protein, has been found to promote neuronal survival, cell migration and neurite outgrowth by enhancing the interaction of pleiotrophin and syndecan-3. We now show that Y-P30 activates Src kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Y-P30 promotes axonal growth of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived neurons, embryonic mouse spinal cord motoneurons, perinatal rat retinal neurons, and rat cortical neurons.

Intracellular Delivery of Short Interfering RNA in Rat Organ of Corti Using a Cell-penetrating Peptide PepFect6.

RNA interference (RNAi) using short interfering RNA (siRNA) is an attractive therapeutic approach for treatment of dominant-negative mutations. Some rare missense dominant-negative mutations lead to congenital-hearing impairments. A variety of viral vectors have been tested with variable efficacy for modulating gene expression in inner ear.

The survival promoting peptide Y-P30 promotes cellular migration.

Y-P30, the 30 amino acid N-terminal peptide of the dermcidin gene, has been found to promote neuronal survival and differentiation. Its early presence in development and import to the fetal brain led to the hypothesis that Y-P30 has an influence on proliferation, differentiation and migration. Neurospheres derived from neural stem cells isolated from E13 mouse cortex and striatal ganglionic eminences were treated with Y-P30, however, the proportion of progenitors, neurons and astrocytes generated in differentiation assays was not altered.