Surface Avidity of Anionic Polypeptide Coatings on Layer-by-Layer Nanoparticles Target Cancer-Associated Amino Acid Transporters.

ABSTRACT: Tumor-targeted drug delivery enhances therapeutic efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Layer-by-layer nanoparticles (LbL-NPs) coated with anionic polypeptides selectively bind to cancer cells, though the mechanisms have been unclear. Here, we integrated in silico and in vitro approaches-including gene expression analysis, receptor inhibition, and AI-based protein modeling-to show that poly(L-glutamate) (PLE)-coated LbL-NPs bind with high avidity to SLC1A5, a glutamine transporter overexpressed in cancer. We also discovered that PLE clusters SLC1A5 on the cell membrane, promoting prolonged cell surface retention. Poly(L-aspartate) (PLD)-coated NPs similarly bind SLC1A5 but also interact with faster internalizing transporters of anionic amino acids. Correlation analyses across cancer cell lin

SUBMITTER: Pires IS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12910144 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature