CPPs (cell-penetrating peptides) facilitate cellular uptake of covalently attached macromolecules, through an as yet controversial mechanism that either involves direct membrane passage or a type of endocytosis. We investigated the potential of the CPPs penetratin and Tat to act as mitochondria-targeting vectors by testing whether they were internalized by isolated mitochondria, and by mitochondria within cells in culture. We also tested peptides conjugated to the mitochondria-targeting moiety triphenylphosphonium. We found no evidence for mitochondrial uptake by penetratin, Tat or their triphenylphosphonium conjugates. This result suggests that CPPs are unsuitable as mitochondria-targeting vectors, and implies an endocytic mode of cellular uptake for CPPs.
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November 2004
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Conference Article|
October 26 2004
Cell-penetrating peptides are excluded from the mitochondrial matrix
M.F. Ross;
M.F. Ross
1
1MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2XY, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email mfr@mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk).
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M.P. Murphy
M.P. Murphy
1MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2XY, U.K.
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Biochem Soc Trans (2004) 32 (6): 1072–1074.
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Received:
July 20 2004
Citation
M.F. Ross, M.P. Murphy; Cell-penetrating peptides are excluded from the mitochondrial matrix. Biochem Soc Trans 1 November 2004; 32 (6): 1072–1074. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0321072
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