Novel Lipidated Compounds for Delivery and Function.
Tarakkad Krishnaji, Subrahmanian.
2012
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Abstract: Cells regulate gene activity by post-transcriptional silencing of
the genes using small double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). This phenomenon is called RNA
interference (RNAi). In mammalian cells, RNA duplexes, termed as short interfering RNAs
(siRNAs), bind to cognate mRNA sequences and based on complementarity, repress translation
or cleave mRNA strands. This gene-silencing pathway can be ... read moreutilized to regulate various
genes of interest. In particular, this method can be used to target genetic, and viral
diseases and may help in cancer therapy. The anionic nature of siRNAs prevents them from
associating with the plasma membrane. We have designed a new class of non-cationic
phospholipid based delivery agents that make use of the increased acidity of the vesicles
in the endocytic pathway and release cargo molecules into the cytoplasm. We have also shown
that partially fluorinated hydrocarbon lipids are two to three times more efficient than
their hydrocarbon counterparts. Using confocal fluorescence microscopy, we have shown that
these agents can efficiently deliver highly fluorescently labeled ssDNA across the membrane
into the cytoplasm. Our experiments show that these constructs traverse the plasma membrane
via clathrin and/or caveolin dependent endocytic pathway. For the second part of the
thesis, we have designed lipidated peptides that modulate G-protein coupled receptors
(GPCRs), which form the largest superfamily of cell surface receptors. The have important
physiological and pathophysiological roles including analgesia, appetite, inflammation,
allodynia and spontaneous pain and peptide hormones modulate most of these functions. They
are the most widely studied class of proteins and are targets for nearly 25% of the drugs
currently available in the market. Despite of all the success in synthetic efforts to make
peptides in large scale, there needs more studies to improve their proteolytic stability,
rapid clearance. We have designed modified peptides that have sustained activity, longer
circulation and improved proteolytic stability. We have tested our model on a variety of
GPCRs in a platform approach, and the ligands showed enhanced activity in all of the tested
GPCRs. We have also shown that these constructs are resistant to wash-off experiments. We
are performing experiments to understand the biophysical properties of these
constructs.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2012.
Submitted to the Dept. of Chemistry.
Advisor: Krishna Kumar.
Committee: Elena Rybak-Akimova, Samuel Thomas, and Graham Jones.
Keyword: Chemistry.read less - ID:
- 8c97m2259
- Component ID:
- tufts:21163
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
