Crotamine: a novel cell-penetrating polypeptide nanocarrier with potential anti-cancer and biotechnological applications.
Crotamine is a basic, 42-residue polypeptide derived from snake venom that has been shown to possess cell-penetrating properties. Crotamine forms nanoparticles with a variety of DNA and RNA molecules, and crotamine-plasmid DNA nanoparticles are selectively delivered into actively proliferating cells in culture or in mice. As such, these nanoparticles could form the basis for a nucleic acid drug-delivery system. Here we describe the preparation, purification, and biochemical and biophysical analysis of venom-derived, recombinant, chemically synthesized, and fluorescent-labeled crotamine; the formation and characterization of crotamine-DNA and -RNA nanoparticles; and the delivery of these nanoparticles into cells and animals.
Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil. mhayashi@unifesp.br
Mirian A F
MA
Hayashi
Eduardo B
EB
Oliveira
Irina
I
Kerkis
Richard L
RL
Karpel
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058726:Nanoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014162:Transfection
D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides; D003435:Crotalid Venoms; D058726:Nanoconjugates; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C010563:crotamine