title: A self-assembling fluorescent dipeptide conjugate for cell labelling.
abstract: Derivatives of fluorophore FITC (fluorescein isothiocyanate) are widely used in bioassays to label proteins and cells. An N-terminal leucine dipeptide is attached to FITC, and we show that this simple conjugate molecule is cytocompatible and is uptaken by cells (human dermal and corneal fibroblasts) in contrast to FITC itself. Co-localisation shows that FITC-LL segregates in peri-nuclear and intracellular vesicle regions. Above a critical aggregation concentration, the conjugate is shown to self-assemble into beta-sheet nanostructures comprising molecular bilayers.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirkham
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK. Electronic address: I.W.Hamley@reading.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ian W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Hamley
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK.
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gouveia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK.
authors.forename: Che J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Connon
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Mehedi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reza
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruokolainen
mesh_terms: D004151:Dipeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: Fluorescence; Peptide conjugates; Peptides; Self-assembly