Design, synthesis, and characterization of peptide nanostructures having ion channel activity

We report the synthesis and the functional studies of multiple crown a-helical peptides designed to form artificial ion channels. The approach combines the versatility of solid phase peptide synthesis, the conformational predictability of peptidic molecules, and the solution synthesis of crown ethers with engineerable ion-binding abilities. Several biophysical methods were employed to characterize the activity and the mode of action of these crown peptide nanostructures. The 21 residue peptides bearing six 21-EC-7 turned out to facilitate the translocation of ions in a similar fashion to natural ion channels. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.