Spontaneous Membrane-Translocating Peptide Adsorption

Spontaneous Memberane-Translocationg Peptide Adsorption at Silica Surfaces

Spontaneous membrane-translocating peptides (SMTPs) have recently been shown to directly penetrate cell membranes. Adsorption of a SMTP, and some engineered extensions, at model silica surfaces are studied using fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in order to assess their potential to construct novel drug delivery systems. The simulations are designed to reproduce the electric fields above single, siloxide-rich charged surfaces. The main aim is to elucidate:

1. How does the SMTP interact with various silica surfaces;
2. Does adsorption impede the availability of arginine for further membrane interactions;
3. Can the peptide sequence be engineered to promote preferential conformation?

For more information about the project contact Dr Karina Kubiak-Ossowska (karina.kubiak@strath.ac.uk), ARCHIE-WeSt User Support Officer at the University of Strathclyde or Dr Paul Mulheran, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Strathclyde.
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