Small-angle X-ray scattering studies of peptide-lipid interactions using the mouse paneth cell α-defensin cryptdin-4

• Published in: Methods in enzymology Vol. 492; p. 127
• Main Authors: Mishra, Abhijit, Tai, Kenneth P, Schmidt, Nathan W, Ouellette, André J, Wong, Gerard C L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2011
• Subjects: alpha-Defensins - chemistry; Animals; Lipids - chemistry; Mice; Models, Molecular; Paneth Cells; Peptides - chemistry; Scattering, Small Angle; X-Ray Diffraction - methods
• ISSN: 1557-7988
• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-381268-1.00016-1

In the presence of specialized proteins or peptides, a biological membrane can spontaneously restructure itself to allow communication between the intracellular and the extracellular sides. Examples of these proteins include cell-penetrating peptides and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which interact with cell membranes in complex ways. We briefly review cell-penetrating peptides and AMPs, and describe in detail how recombinant AMPs are made and their activity evaluated, using α-defensins as a specific example. We also review X-ray scattering methods used in studying peptide-membrane interactions, focusing on the procedures for small-angle X-ray scattering experiments on peptide-membrane interactions at realistic solution conditions, using both laboratory and synchrotron sources.