Issue 11, 2013

BH3 helix-derived biophotonic nanoswitches regulate cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells

Abstract

Dynamic physical interactions between proteins underpin all key cellular processes and are a highly attractive area for the development of research tools and medicines. Proteinprotein interactions frequently involve α-helical structures, but peptides matching the sequences of these structures usually do not fold correctly in isolation. Therefore, much research has focused on the creation of small peptides that adopt stable α-helical structures even in the absence of their intended protein targets. We show that short peptides alkylated with azobenzene crosslinkers can be used to photo-stimulate mitochondrial membrane depolarization and cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells, the initial events of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.

Graphical abstract: BH3 helix-derived biophotonic nanoswitches regulate cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Jun 2013
Accepted
05 Aug 2013
First published
13 Aug 2013
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mol. BioSyst., 2013,9, 2597-2603

BH3 helix-derived biophotonic nanoswitches regulate cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells

R. J. Mart, R. J. Errington, C. L. Watkins, S. C. Chappell, M. Wiltshire, A. T. Jones, P. J. Smith and R. K. Allemann, Mol. BioSyst., 2013, 9, 2597 DOI: 10.1039/C3MB70246D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements