Patent ID: 9738687
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: C07K,C12N

Claim:
1. A method for increasing the transduction efficiency and cytosolic delivery of an independent polypeptide cargo in a population of target eukaryotic cells, said method comprising contacting said target eukaryotic cells and-said independent polypeptide cargo and a concentration of a synthetic peptide sufficient to increase the percentage or proportion of the population of target eukaryotic cells into which the independent polypeptide is delivered across the plasma membrane, as compared to in the absence of said synthetic peptide, wherein said synthetic peptide: (a) comprises an endosome leakage domain (ELD), or a variant or fragment thereof having endosomolytic activity, operably linked to a cell penetrating domain (CPD), wherein said ELD comprises the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-15, 63, or 64; (b) is not covalently bound to said independent polypeptide cargo; (c) has an overall length of between 20 and 100 amino acid residues; (d) has a net charge of at least +6 at physiological pH; and (e) is soluble in aqueous solution at physiological pH, wherein said CPD enables delivery of said synthetic peptide across the plasma membrane, and said ELD enables escape of endosomally trapped independent polypeptide cargo to the cytosol of the target eukaryotic cells, thereby increasing the transduction efficiency and cytosolic delivery of the independent polypeptide cargo in the population of target eukaryotic cells.