Determination of penetratin secondary structure in live cells with Raman microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have attracted recent interest as drug delivery tools, although the mechanisms by which CPPs are internalized by cells are not well-defined. Here, we report a new experimental approach for the detection and secondary structure determination of CPPs in live cells using Raman microscopy with heavy isotope labeling of the peptide. As a first demonstration of principle, penetratin, a 16-residue CPP derived from the Antennapedia homeodomain protein of Drosophila, was measured in single, living melanoma cells. Carbon-13 labeling of the Phe residue of penetratin was used to shift the intense aromatic ring-breathing vibrational mode from 1003 to 967 cm(-1), thereby enabling the peptide to be traced in cells. Difference spectroscopy and principal components analysis

SUBMITTER: Ye J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2818876 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature