A platform for discovery of functional cell-penetrating peptides for efficient multi-cargo intracellular delivery.

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) offer great potential to deliver therapeutic molecules to previously inaccessible intracellular targets. However, many CPPs are inefficient and often leave their attached cargo stranded in the cell's endosome. We report a versatile platform for the isolation of peptides delivering a wide range of cargos into the cytoplasm of cells.

β-Lactamase Tools for Establishing Cell Internalization and Cytosolic Delivery of Cell Penetrating Peptides.

The ability of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) to deliver biologically relevant cargos into cells is becoming more important as targets in the intracellular space continue to be explored. We have developed two assays based on CPP-dependent, intracellular delivery of TEM-1 β-lactamase enzyme, a functional biological molecule comparable in size to many protein therapeutics. The first assay focuses on the delivery of full-length β-lactamase to evaluate the internalization potential of a CPP sequence.

Engineering of the Escherichia coli Im7 immunity protein as a loop display scaffold.

Protein scaffolds derived from non-immunoglobulin sources are increasingly being adapted and engineered to provide unique binding molecules with a diverse range of targeting specificities. The ColE7 immunity protein (Im7) from Escherichia coli is potentially one such molecule, as it combines the advantages of (i) small size, (ii) stability conferred by a conserved four anti-parallel alpha-helical framework and (iii) availability of variable surface loops evolved to inactivate members of the DNase family of bacterial toxins, forming one of the tightest known protein-protein interactions. Here we describe initial cloning and protein expression of Im7 and its cognate partner the 15 kDa DNase domain of the colicin E7.

Electrochemical, spectroscopic, structural, and magnetic characterization of the reduced and protonated alpha-Dawson anions in [Fe(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(2)](5)[HS(2)Mo(18)O(62)].3HCONMe(2).2Et(2)O and [NBu(4)](5)[HS(2)Mo(18)O(62)].2H(2)O(1).

Reaction of excess Fe(cp)(2) (cp = eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)) dissolved in Et(2)O with [NHex(4)](4)[S(2)Mo(18)O(62)] in acetonitrile, followed by recrystallization of the precipitated solid from N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF), leads to isolation of the complex [Fe(cp)(2)](5)[HS(2)Mo(18)O(62)].3DMF.2Et(2)O.