Self-Assembling Amphiphilic Peptides Target the VDAC1-Hexokinase-II Complex to Induce Apoptosis in Cervical Carcinoma Cells
VDAC1, an outer mitochondrial membrane protein overexpressed in cancers, regulates apoptosis by interacting with antiapoptotic proteins and releasing apoptotic factors. We investigate novel multiblock cationic peptide amphiphiles targeting the VDAC1-Hexokinase-II complex in the mitochondria of cervical carcinoma cells. Amphiphilic peptide variants were designed by modifying the C-terminus of VDAC1 fragment LP1 with a cationic hydrophilic segment and the N-terminus with a hydrophobic domain, enabling self-assembly into nanofiber-like structures at elevated concentrations. In HeLa cells, these peptides triggered mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis through a decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome