Minimally Cationic Cell-Permeable Miniature Proteins via a-Helical Arginine Display

摘要

Protein therapeutics are a blossoming industry, with revenues exceeding $51 billion in 2005 and a growth rate nearly three times that of the overall pharmaceutical industry. Although it has been known for 40 years that cationic amino acid polymers can transport molecular cargos across the plasma membrane, inefficient cellular delivery severely impedes the development of peptide and protein drugs. Oligoarginine sequences are effective at permeating cells and have gained popularity for the delivery of protein cargos. Unfortunately, oligoarginine tags can increase toxicity and diminish the stability of appended proteins.