Cell Piercing Peptides (IMAGE)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Cell Piercing Peptides

Caption

A computer generated image of a cell membrane being "pierced" by HIV peptides. The positively charged HIV peptides (shown in red) are drawn to negatively charged phosphates (shown in yellow) in the cell membrane. When an HIV peptide cannot satisfy itself with the negative charges available on the cell membrane surface it is directly attached to, it reaches through the membrane to grab negatively charged phosphates on the other side, opening a hole in the cell.

Credit

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute/Angel Garcia

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