ABSTRACT
We report cancer cell death initiated by the intracellular molecular self-assembly of a peptide lipid, which was derived from a gelator precursor. The gelator precursor was designed to form nanofibers via molecular self-assembly, after cleavage by a cancer-related enzyme (matrix metalloproteinase-7, MMP-7), leading to hydrogelation. The gelator precursor exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity to five different cancer cell lines, while the precursor exhibited low cytotoxicity to normal cells. Cancer cells secrete excessive amounts of MMP-7, which converted the precursor into a supramolecular gelator prior to its uptake by the cells. Once inside the cells, the supramolecular gelator formed a gel via molecular self-assembly, exerting vital stress on the cancer cells. The present study thus describes a new drug where molecular self-assembly acts as the mechanism of cytotoxicity.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Intracellular Space/metabolism , Matrix Metalloproteinase 7/metabolism , Cell Death/drug effects , Cell Line, Tumor , Gels , Humans , HydrolysisABSTRACT
We synthesized several surfactant-like ligands and prepared affinity membranes by introducing them into porous polymeric membranes using the thermally induced phase separation method. The ligands (nitrilotriacetate, iminodiacetate, and glutathione) were successfully displayed on the surfaces of cellulose diacetate membranes. Membranes functionalized with nitrilotriacetate and glutathione captured and released hexahistidine-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (His-tag GFP) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) selectively under appropriate conditions. The affinity membranes also enabled highly selective purification of target proteins (GFP and GST) from cell lysates. The protein-binding capacity was 15 µg/cm(2) for His-tag GFP and 13 µg/cm(2) for GST. The application-specific membranes described in this work will aid high-throughput screening and high-throughput analysis of recombinant proteins.
