2021/12/03 by Jie Li, Jan Tůma, Hesong Han +4 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #RNA Interference and Gene Delivery #Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects #Virus-based gene therapy research
paper · doi:10.1002/adhm.202102118
openalex publication_date 2021/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract Protein‐based therapeutics have the potential to treat a variety of diseases, however, safe and effective methods for delivering them into cells need to be developed before their clinical potential can be realized. Peptide fusions have great potential for improving intracellular delivery of proteins. However, very few peptides have been identified that can increase the intracellular delivery of proteins, and new peptides that can enhance intracellular protein delivery are greatly needed. In this report, the authors demonstrate that the coiled‐coil forming peptide (KVSALKE) 5 (termed K5) can function as a cell penetrating peptide (CPP), and can also complex other proteins that contain its partner peptide E5. It is shown here that GFP and Cas9 fused to the K5 peptide has dramatically enhanced cell uptake in a variety of cell lines, and is able to edit neurons and astrocytes in the striatum and hippocampus of mice after a direct intracranial injection. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that the coiled‐coil forming peptide (KVSALKE) 5 is a new class of multifunctional CPPs that has great potential for improving the delivery of proteins into cells and in vivo.