title: Cationic peptides as RNA compaction agents: a study on the polyA compaction activity of a linear alpha,epsilon-oligo-L-lysine.
abstract: In this work, we investigate the compaction activity of a sequential alpha,epsilon-peptide composed of l-lysines towards two RNA targets, in view of its possible pharmaceutical application in RNA-targeting and RNA delivery. The basic oligolysine, object of the present study, proved not only to be efficient in compacting the single-stranded polyA RNA, but also to strongly interact with the polyA·polyU complex, as evidenced by CD-binding and UV-melting experiments. In particular, the marked differences in the CD spectra of the RNA targets upon addition of the peptide, as well as the different UV melting behaviour for the polyA·polyU complex in the presence and absence of the peptide, sustain the hypothesis of a strong RNA compaction capacity of the alpha,epsilon-oligolysine. Finally, by using HPLC analysis, we found a good resistance of the peptide against the lytic action of human serum, an important requirement in view of in vitro/in vivo biological assays.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini - CNR, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy. Electronic address: giovanni.roviello@cnr.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Roviello
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini - CNR, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Musumeci
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale(DICMaPI), Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80125 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Roviello
mesh_terms: D002412:Cations; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011063:Poly A-U / Q000737:chemistry*; D011107:Polylysine / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D020871:RNA Stability; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D011063:Poly A-U; D011107:Polylysine; D012313:RNA
keywords: Alpha,epsilon-oligolysine; Basic peptide; polyA; polyA·polyU