A peptide derived from Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 glycoprotein H: membrane translocation and applications to the delivery of quantum dots

Cell membranes are impermeable to most molecules not actively imported by living cells, including practically all macromolecules and even small molecules whose physiochemical properties prevent passive membrane diffusion. However, over the past decades, we have seen the development of increasingly sophisticated methodology for intracellular drug delivery. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), representing different families of short peptides believed to enter cells by penetrating cell membranes, have attracted a great deal of interest in the hope of enhancing gene therapy, vaccine development, and drug delivery. Nevertheless, to achieve an efficient intracellular delivery, further strategies to bypass the endocytotic pathway need to be investigated. We report on a novel peptide molecule derived from glycoprotein gH of Herpes simplex type I virus which is able to traverse the membrane bilayer and to transport a cargo into the cytoplasm. We use as cargo molecule quantum dots that are almost unable to traverse the membrane bilayer on their own.