title: A bioactive fullerene peptide.
abstract: The highly hydrophobic C60 (buckminsterfullerene) was water solubilized by covalently linking the synthon 1,2-dihydro-1,2-methanofullerene [60]-61-carboxylic acid to the alpha-amino group of the hydrophilic 4-8 sequence of peptide T, known to display potent human monocyte chemotaxis. The resulting compound, characterized by a variety of analytical techniques, including a UV spectrum in aqueous solution, exhibits remarkable chemotactic potency, comparable to that of the parent pentapeptide. Furthermore, this fullerene-peptide conjugate inhibits, albeit weakly, HIV-1 protease.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Organica, Universitá di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toniolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scorrano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marastoni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomatis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spisani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palú
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000187:drug effects; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D015717:Peptide T / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D015717:Peptide T