transportan and dodecylphosphocholine

Transportan is a chimeric cell-penetrating peptide constructed from the peptides galanin and mastoparan, which has the ability to internalize living cells carrying a hydrophilic load. In this study, we have determined the NMR solution structure and investigated the position of transportan in neutral bicelles. The structure revealed a well-defined alpha-helix in the C-terminal mastoparan part of the peptide and a weaker tendency to form an alpha-helix in the N-terminal domain. The position of the peptide in relation to the membrane, as studied by adding paramagnetic probes, shows that the peptide lies parallel to, and in the head-group region of the membrane surface. This result is supported by amide proton secondary chemical shifts.

Topics: Amides; Amino Acid Sequence; Circular Dichroism; Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine; Drug Carriers; Galanin; Glycerophosphates; Lipid Bilayers; Micelles; Models, Molecular; Molecular Sequence Data; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; Phospholipid Ethers; Phosphorylcholine; Protein Structure, Secondary; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Spin Labels; Wasp Venoms