title: Interaction of synthetic peptides corresponding to hepatitis G virus (HGV/GBV-C) E2 structural protein with phospholipid vesicles.
abstract: The interaction with phospholipid bilayers of two synthetic peptides with sequences corresponding to a segment next to the native N-terminus and an internal region of the E2 structural hepatitis G virus (HGV/GBV-C) protein [E2(7-26) and E2(279-298), respectively] has been characterized. Both peptides are water soluble but associate spontaneously with bilayers, showing higher affinity for anionic than zwitterionic membranes. However, whereas the E2(7-26) peptide is hardly transferred at all from water to the membrane interface, the E2(279-298) peptide is able to penetrate into negatively charged bilayers remaining close to the lipid/water interface. The nonpolar environment clearly induces a structural transition in the E2(279-298) peptide from random coil to alpha-helix, which causes bilayer perturbations leading to vesicle permeabilization. The results indicate that this internal segment peptide sequence is involved in the fusion of HGV/GBV-C to membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Peptide and Protein Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Larios
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Christiaens
authors.forename: M José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gómara
authors.forename: M Asunción
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alsina
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Haro
mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide / Q000737:chemistry; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000378:metabolism; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins
chemical_list: D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D010455:Peptides; D010743:Phospholipids; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C; D020106:Acrylamide; C007740:fluorexon