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McFetridge ML, Kulkarni K, Lee TH, Del Borgo MP, Aguilar MI, Ricardo SD. Elucidating the cell penetrating properties of self-assembling β-peptides. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:14971-14980. [PMID: 37661822 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr03673a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembling lipopeptide hydrogels have been widely developed for the delivery of therapeutics due to their rapid gelation, injectability, and highly controlled physicochemical properties. Lipopeptides are also known for their membrane-associating and cell penetrating properties, which may impact on their application in cell-encapsulation. Self-assembling lipidated-β3-peptide materials developed in our laboratory have previously been used in cell culture as 2D substrates, thus as a continuation of this work we aimed to encapsulate cells in 3D by forming a hydrogel. We therefore assessed the self-assembling lipidated-β3-peptides for cell-penetrating properties in mesenchymal stems cells (MSC) using fluorescence microscopy and membrane association with surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). The results demonstrated that lipidated β3-peptides penetrate the MSC plasma membrane and localise to the mitochondrial network. While self-assembling lipopeptide hydrogels have shown tremendous potential for delivery of therapeutics, further optimisation may be required to minimise the membrane uptake of the lipidated-β3-peptides for cell encapsulation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meg L McFetridge
- Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Ketav Kulkarni
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Tzong-Hsien Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Mark P Del Borgo
- Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Marie-Isabel Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Sharon D Ricardo
- Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
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Lee TH, Checco JW, Malcolm T, Eller CH, Raines RT, Gellman SH, Lee EF, Fairlie WD, Aguilar MI. Differential membrane binding of α/β-peptide foldamers: implications for cellular delivery and mitochondrial targeting. Aust J Chem 2023; 76:482-492. [PMID: 37780415 PMCID: PMC10540276 DOI: 10.1071/ch23063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Inhibition of the anti-apoptotic members represents a strategy to induce apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. We have measured the membrane binding properties of a series of peptides, including modified α/β-peptides, designed to exhibit enhanced membrane permeability to allow cell entry and improved access for engagement of Bcl-2 family members. The peptide cargo is based on the pro-apoptotic protein Bim, which interacts with all anti-apoptotic proteins to initiate apoptosis. The α/β-peptides contained cyclic β-amino acid residues designed to increase their stability and membrane-permeability. Dual polarisation interferometry was used to study the binding of each peptide to two different model membrane systems designed to mimic either the plasma membrane or the outer mitochondrial membrane. The impact of each peptide on the model membrane structure was also investigated, and the results demonstrated that the modified peptides had increased affinity for the mitochondrial membrane and significantly altered the structure of the bilayer. The results also showed that the presence of an RRR motif significantly enhanced the ability of the peptides to bind to and insert into the mitochondrial membrane mimic, and provide insights into the role of selective membrane targeting of peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzong-Hsien Lee
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton Vic, 3800, Australia
| | - James W Checco
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Current address: Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
- Current address: The Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication (NCIBC), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Tess Malcolm
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton Vic, 3800, Australia
- Current address: School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia
| | - Chelcie H Eller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Ronald T Raines
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Erinna F Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - W Douglas Fairlie
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Marie-Isabel Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton Vic, 3800, Australia
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In Vitro Assays: Friends or Foes of Cell-Penetrating Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21134719. [PMID: 32630650 PMCID: PMC7369778 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell membrane is a complex and highly regulated system that is composed of lipid bilayer and proteins. One of the main functions of the cell membrane is the regulation of cell entry. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are defined as peptides that can cross the plasma membrane and deliver their cargo inside the cell. The uptake of a peptide is determined by its sequence and biophysicochemical properties. At the same time, the uptake mechanism and efficiency are shown to be dependent on local peptide concentration, cell membrane lipid composition, characteristics of the cargo, and experimental methodology, suggesting that a highly efficient CPP in one system might not be as productive in another. To better understand the dependence of CPPs on the experimental system, we present a review of the in vitro assays that have been employed in the literature to evaluate CPPs and CPP-cargos. Our comprehensive review suggests that utilization of orthogonal assays will be more effective for deciphering the true ability of CPPs to translocate through the membrane and enter the cell cytoplasm.
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Chrom CL, Renn LM, Caputo GA. Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Amphiphilic Peptide AP3 and Derivative Sequences. Antibiotics (Basel) 2019; 8:antibiotics8010020. [PMID: 30845708 PMCID: PMC6466588 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics8010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The continued emergence of new antibiotic resistant bacterial strains has resulted in great interest in the development of new antimicrobial treatments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of many potential classes of molecules to help meet this emerging need. AMPs are naturally derived sequences, which act as part of the innate immune system of organisms ranging from insects through humans. We investigated the antimicrobial peptide AP3, which is originally isolated from the winter flounder Pleuronectes americanus. This peptide is of specific interest because it does not exhibit the canonical facially amphiphilic orientation of side chains when in a helical orientation. Different analogs of AP3 were synthesized in which length, charge identity, and Trp position were varied to investigate the sequence-structure and activity relationship. We performed biophysical and microbiological characterization using fluorescence spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, vesicle leakage assays, bacterial membrane permeabilization assays, and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the peptides bind to lipid bilayers to similar extents, while CD spectra show the peptides adopt helical conformations. All five peptides tested in this study exhibited binding to model lipid membranes, while the truncated peptides showed no measurable antimicrobial activity. The most active peptide proved to be the parent peptide AP3 with the highest degree of leakage and bacterial membrane permeabilization. Moreover, it was found that the ability to permeabilize model and bacterial membranes correlated most closely with the ability to predict antimicrobial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Chrom
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
| | - Lindsay M Renn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
| | - Gregory A Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
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Lee TH, Hirst DJ, Kulkarni K, Del Borgo MP, Aguilar MI. Exploring Molecular-Biomembrane Interactions with Surface Plasmon Resonance and Dual Polarization Interferometry Technology: Expanding the Spotlight onto Biomembrane Structure. Chem Rev 2018; 118:5392-5487. [PMID: 29793341 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The molecular analysis of biomolecular-membrane interactions is central to understanding most cellular systems but has emerged as a complex technical challenge given the complexities of membrane structure and composition across all living cells. We present a review of the application of surface plasmon resonance and dual polarization interferometry-based biosensors to the study of biomembrane-based systems using both planar mono- or bilayers or liposomes. We first describe the optical principals and instrumentation of surface plasmon resonance, including both linear and extraordinary transmission modes and dual polarization interferometry. We then describe the wide range of model membrane systems that have been developed for deposition on the chips surfaces that include planar, polymer cushioned, tethered bilayers, and liposomes. This is followed by a description of the different chemical immobilization or physisorption techniques. The application of this broad range of engineered membrane surfaces to biomolecular-membrane interactions is then overviewed and how the information obtained using these techniques enhance our molecular understanding of membrane-mediated peptide and protein function. We first discuss experiments where SPR alone has been used to characterize membrane binding and describe how these studies yielded novel insight into the molecular events associated with membrane interactions and how they provided a significant impetus to more recent studies that focus on coincident membrane structure changes during binding of peptides and proteins. We then discuss the emerging limitations of not monitoring the effects on membrane structure and how SPR data can be combined with DPI to provide significant new information on how a membrane responds to the binding of peptides and proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzong-Hsien Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute , Monash University , Clayton , VIC 3800 , Australia
| | - Daniel J Hirst
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute , Monash University , Clayton , VIC 3800 , Australia
| | - Ketav Kulkarni
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute , Monash University , Clayton , VIC 3800 , Australia
| | - Mark P Del Borgo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute , Monash University , Clayton , VIC 3800 , Australia
| | - Marie-Isabel Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute , Monash University , Clayton , VIC 3800 , Australia
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Lee TH, Sani MA, Overall S, Separovic F, Aguilar MI. Effect of phosphatidylcholine bilayer thickness and molecular order on the binding of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:300-309. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Rosilio V. How Can Artificial Lipid Models Mimic the Complexity of Molecule–Membrane Interactions? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.abl.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Peptide Therapeutics Versus Superbugs: Highlight on Current Research and Advancements. Int J Pept Res Ther 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-017-9650-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Watson G, Kulkarni K, Brandt R, Del Borgo MP, Aguilar MI, Wilce JA. Shortened Penetratin Cell-Penetrating Peptide Is Insufficient for Cytosolic Delivery of a Grb7 Targeting Peptide. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:670-677. [PMID: 29152602 PMCID: PMC5683694 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.6b00561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Delivery across the cell membrane is of critical importance for the development of therapeutics targeting intracellular proteins. The use of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), such as Penetratin (P16), has facilitated the delivery of otherwise cell-impermeable molecules allowing them to carry out their biological function. A truncated form of Penetratin (RRMKWKK) has been previously described as the minimal Penetratin sequence that is required for translocation across the cell membrane. Here, we performed a detailed comparison of cellular uptake by Penetratin (P16) and the truncated Penetratin peptide (P7), including their ability to deliver G7-18NATE, a cyclic peptide targeting the cytosolic cancer target Grb7-adapter protein into cells. We identified that both P16 and P7 were internalized by cells to comparable levels; however, only P16 was effective in delivering G7-18NATE to produce a biological response. Live-cell imaging of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled peptides suggested that while P7 may be taken up into cells, it does not gain access to the cytosolic compartment. Thus, this study has identified that the P7 peptide is a poor CPP for the delivery of G7-18NATE and may also be insufficient for the intracellular delivery of other bioactive molecules.
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