Green Fluorescent Protein Helps Therapeutic Proteins Get Inside Cell Walls

Researchers from Harvard University seem to have created a method to overcome the challenge of getting specific proteins to enter mammalian cells through the typically very restrictive cell membranes. The scientists achieved this feat by using highly positive ionizing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and attaching a ligand protein to it. Because of the high positive charge on the GFP, the package gets sucked into the cell’s interior by the negatively charged intracellular molecules called proteoglycans. It is hoped that this methodology will make protein based drugs a lot more effective, as currently they have to rely on doing their signaling work while remaining outside the cell.
Full story: Supercharged proteins enter biology’s forbidden zone…
Abstract in ACS Chemical Biology: Potent Delivery of Functional Proteins into Mammalian Cells in Vitro and in Vivo Using a Supercharged Protein