Identification of biologically active intracellular peptides by surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI)

• Grant number: 13/00339-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio da Silva Baptista
• Grantee: Leticia Oliveira Araujo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Some peptides from protein degradation may play roles within the cell itself, which may be related to important cellular events such as signal transduction and activation of biological pathways. Thus, understanding the role played by these bioactive fragments may also contribute to the development of new drugs. A key step for apoptotic cell death signaling involves the detachment of cytochrome c of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) and its release into the cytosol, and the further formation of a pro-apoptotic complex and activation of caspase cascade. The identification of peptides possessing an intracellular modulatory role for the cyt c-membrane interaction and activation (or inhibition) of apoptosis may result in new knowledge of the mechanism of programmed cell death and consequently important implications in the treatment of cancer. In this project, we propose the identification of intracellular peptides that may act to modulate the interaction between IMM and cyt c, by using mimetic models of the inner mitochondrial membrane assembled on a solid support (biochip) for detection by Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRi). (AU)