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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Cell junctions, which are typically associated with dynamic cytoskeletons, are essential for a wide range of cellular activities, including cell migration, cell communication, barrier function and signal transduction. Observing cell junctions in real-time can help us understand the mechanisms by which they regulate these cellular activities. This study examined the binding capacity of a modified tridecapeptide from Connexin 43 (Cx43) to the cell junction protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). The goal was to create a fluorescent peptide that can label cell junctions. A cell-penetrating peptide was linked to the modified tridecapeptide. The heterotrimeric peptide molecule was then synthesized. The binding of the modified tridecapeptide was tested using pulldown and immunoprecipitation assays. The ability of the peptide to label cell junctions was assessed by adding it to fixed or live Caco-2 cells. The testing assays revealed that the Cx43-derived peptide can bind to ZO-1. Additionally, the peptide was able to label cell junctions of fixed cells, although no obvious cell junction labeling was observed clearly in live cells, probably due to the inadequate affinity. These findings suggest that labeling cell junctions using a peptide-based strategy is feasible. Further efforts to improve its affinity are warranted in the future.

Details

Title
A Modified Tridecapeptide Probe for Imaging Cell Junction
Author
Li, Jingrui 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wu, Yuhan 2 ; Liu, Chunyu 1 ; Zhang, Shu 1 ; Su, Xin 1 ; Xie, Songbo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Yang, Fengtang 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China; [email protected] (C.L.); [email protected] (S.Z.); [email protected] (X.S.); [email protected] (S.X.) 
 Center for Cell Structure and Function, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China; [email protected] 
First page
1003
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14203049
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2955896508
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.