Nonhemolytic Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Site Specific Introduction of Glutamine and Lysine Residues into the α-Helical Peptide Causes Deletion of Its Direct Membrane Disrupting Ability but Retention of Its Cell Penetrating Ability

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) often have cationic and amphipathic characteristics that are commonly associated with α-helical peptides. These features give CPPs both membrane demolishing and penetrating abilities. To make CPPs safe for biomedical applications, their toxicities resulting from their membrane demolishing abilities must be removed while their cell penetrating abilities must be retained. In this study, we systematically constructed mutants of the amphipathic α-helical model peptide (LKKLLKLLKKLLKLAG, LK peptide). The hydrophobic amino acid leucine in the LK peptide was replaced with hydrophilic amino acids to reduce hemolytic or cell toxicity. Most of the mutants were found to have weakened membrane disrupting abilities, but their cell penetrating abilities were also weakened. However, the L8Q and L8K mutants were found to have low micromolar range cell penetrating ability and almost no membrane disrupting ability. These selected mutants utilize energy-dependent endocytosis mechanisms instead of an energy-independent direct cell penetrating mechanism to enter cells. In addition, the mutants can be used to deliver the anticancer drug methotrexate (MTX) to cells, thereby overcoming resistance to this drug. To determine if the effect of these mutations on the membrane disrupting and cell penetrating abilities is general, Q and K mutations of the natural amphipathic α-helical antimicrobial peptide (AMP), LL37, were introduced. Specific positional Q and K mutants of LL37 were found to have lower hemolytic toxicities and preserved the ability to penetrate eukaryotic cells such as MDA-MB-231 cells. Taken together, observations made in this work suggest that interrupting the global hydrophobicity of amphipathic α-helical CPPs and AMPs, by replacing hydrophobic residues with mildly hydrophilic amino acids such as Q and K, might be an ideal strategy for constructing peptides that have strong cell penetrating abilities and weak cell membrane disrupting abilities.