# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# overview
Our goal is to determine how proteins function in space and time in the context of complex cellular networks. We focus on chemistry-driven approaches to manipulate protein structure beyond what is feasible with standard genetics. In particular, we use semi-synthetic light-activatable proteins as biophysical probes to investigate protein mechanisms inside living cells. Areas of interest include the important but poorly understood process of protein S-acylation, signal transduction, and protein trafficking.

# keywords[]
Intercellular Signaling Peptides And Proteins

# keywords[]
Tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus

# keywords[]
Intercellular Signaling Peptides And Proteins

# keywords[]
Tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus

# keywords[]
Protein Transduction Domain Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Trans-activating Transcriptional Activator

# keywords[]
Tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
University of Houston - (Houston, Texas, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
ecole Superieure de Chimie Physique Electronique de Lyon - (Lyon, France)

# publications[].label
How Does Membrane Oxidation Affect Cell Delivery and Cell Killing?

# publications[].label
A ligation and photorelease strategy for the temporal and spatial control of protein function in living cells.

# publications[].label
Investigating Subcellular Compartment Targeting Effect of Porous Coordination Cages for Enhancing Cancer Nanotherapy.

# publications[].label
Design and fabrication of microwell array chips for a solution-based, photogenerated acid-catalyzed parallel oligonuclotide DNA synthesis

# publications[].label
The Late Endosome and Its Lipid BMP Act as Gateways for Efficient Cytosolic Access of the Delivery Agent dfTAT and Its Macromolecular Cargos.

# publications[].label
Protein delivery into live cells by incubation with an endosomolytic agent.

# publications[].label
Real-time fluorescence detection of protein transduction into live cells.

# publications[].label
Efficient cell delivery mediated by lipid-specific endosomal escape of supercharged branched peptides.

# publications[].label
Tunable photoactivation of a post-translationally modified signaling protein and its unmodified counterpart in live cells.

# publications[].label
Individually addressable parallel peptide synthesis on microchips.

# publications[].label
Non-covalent delivery of proteins into mammalian cells.

# publications[].label
Live cell cytotoxicity studies: documentation of the interactions of antitumor active dirhodium compounds with nuclear DNA.

# publications[].label
Semisynthetic proteins in mechanistic studies: using chemistry to go where nature can't.

# publications[].label
Photoinactivation of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with the antimicrobial peptide (KLAKLAK)(2) conjugated to the hydrophilic photosensitizer eosin Y.

# publications[].label
Digital light-directed synthesis. A microarray platform that permits rapid reaction optimization on a combinatorial basis.

# publications[].label
Delivery of Proteins, Peptides or Cell-impermeable Small Molecules into Live Cells by Incubation with the Endosomolytic Reagent dfTAT.

# publications[].label
Efficient and Innocuous Live-Cell Delivery: Making Membrane Barriers Disappear to Enable Cellular Biochemistry: How Better Cellular Delivery Tools Can Contribute to Precise and Quantitative Cell Biology Assays.

# publications[].label
Efficient Delivery of Macromolecules into Human Cells by Improving the Endosomal Escape Activity of Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Lessons Learned from dfTAT and its Analogs.

# publications[].label
A retro-inverso TAT-like peptide designed to deliver cysteamine to cells.

# publications[].label
Conjugation to the cell-penetrating peptide TAT potentiates the photodynamic effect of carboxytetramethylrhodamine.

# publications[].label
Improving the endosomal escape of cell-penetrating peptides and their cargos: strategies and challenges.

# publications[].label
Anticancer activity of heteroleptic diimine complexes of dirhodium: a study of intercalating properties, hydrophobicity and in cellulo activity.

# publications[].label
High efficiency and long-term intracellular activity of an enzymatic nanofactory based on metal-organic frameworks.

# publications[].label
Simultaneous triggering of protein activity and fluorescence.

# publications[].label
An l- to d-Amino Acid Conversion in an Endosomolytic Analog of the Cell-penetrating Peptide TAT Influences Proteolytic Stability, Endocytic Uptake, and Endosomal Escape.

# publications[].label
A HA2-Fusion tag limits the endosomal release of its protein cargo despite causing endosomal lysis.

# publications[].label
Endosomal Escape and Cytosolic Penetration of Macromolecules Mediated by Synthetic Delivery Agents.

# publications[].label
Membrane Oxidation Enables the Cytosolic Entry of Polyarginine Cell-penetrating Peptides.

# publications[].label
Generation of endosomolytic reagents by branching of cell-penetrating peptides: tools for the delivery of bioactive compounds to live cells in cis or trans.

# publications[].label
Photoinduced membrane damage of E. coli and S. aureus by the photosensitizer-antimicrobial peptide conjugate eosin-(KLAKLAK)2.

# publications[].label
TAT-mediated photochemical internalization results in cell killing by causing the release of calcium into the cytosol of cells.

# publications[].label
Delivery of macromolecules into live cells by simple co-incubation with a peptide.

# publications[].label
High density peptide microarrays. In situ synthesis and applications.

# publications[].label
Cytotoxicity Studies of Cyclometallated Ruthenium(II) Compounds: New Applications for Ruthenium Dyes

# publications[].label
Next-Generation Noncompetitive Nanosystems Based on Gambogic Acid: In silico Identification of Transferrin Receptor Binding Sites, Regulatory Shelf Stability, and Their Preliminary Safety in Healthy Rodents.

# publications[].label
Peptide synthesis based on t-Boc chemistry and solution photogenerated acids.

# publications[].label
Synergy between cell-penetrating peptides and singlet oxygen generators leads to efficient photolysis of membranes.

# publications[].label
Polyarginine Interacts More Strongly and Cooperatively than Polylysine with Phospholipid Bilayers.

# publications[].label
Materials composed of the Drosophila Hox protein Ultrabithorax are biocompatible and nonimmunogenic.

# publications[].label
Modeling of the endosomolytic activity of HA2-TAT peptides with red blood cells and ghosts.

# publications[].label
The photolytic activity of poly-arginine cell penetrating peptides conjugated to carboxy-tetramethylrhodamine is modulated by arginine residue content and fluorophore conjugation site.

# publications[].label
Photodamage of lipid bilayers by irradiation of a fluorescently labeled cell-penetrating peptide.

# publications[].label
Enzyme-MOF Nanoreactor Activates Nontoxic Paracetamol for Cancer Therapy.

# publications[].label
Unlocking Endosomal Entrapment with Supercharged Arginine-Rich Peptides.

# publications[].label
Membrane Oxidation in Cell Delivery and Cell Killing Applications.

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Structure and functional dynamics of virus-host protein interactions

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.preferredLabel
DHHS-NIH-National Institute of General Medical Science

# researcherOn[].label
Development of An Potimized System for Non-Covalent Delivery of Proteins Into Cells

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Mechanisms and optimization of endosomal escape for delivery applications

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.preferredLabel
DHHS-NIH-National Institute of General Medical Science

# researcherOn[].label
DEVELOPMENT OF CELLULAR DELIVERY TOOLS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institute of Food and Agriculture - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Quantitative mapping of intracellular protein-protein interactomes in healthy and cancerous cells

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas - (Austin, Texas, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Delivery of Protein Biosensors Across the Plasma Membrane of Live Cells

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

# streetAddress
Texas A&M University; Biochemistry & Biophysics; 2128 TAMU

# organizations[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# schools[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# etdChairOf[].label
Najjar, Kristina (2017-08). Identifying and Characterizing Molecular Parameters that Modulate the Endosomal Escape of Cationic Cell- Penetrating Peptides: A Structure Activity Approach. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Lee, Ya-Jung (2011-05). Delivery of proteins in live cells with viral peptides: principles and mechanisms. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Johnson, Gregory Andrew (2013-08). Targeted Killing of Bacteria by Conjugation of a Soluble Photosensitizer to an Antimicrobial Peptide: Priniciples and Mechanisms. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Muthukrishnan, Nandhini (2014-05). Intracellular Delivery Using Fluorophore-CPP Conjugates and Light: Mechanisms and Implications. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Erazo, Alfredo (2014-12). Cytosolic Delivery of Proteins, Peptides and Cell-Impermeable Small Molecules Into Live Cells Utilizing Virus-Inspired Multivalent Cell-Penetrating Peptides:  Principles and Mechanisms. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Wang, Ting-Yi (2016-08). Membrane Oxidation Governed Direct Plasma Membrane Translocation of Cell-Penetrating Peptides in Live Cells: Mechanisms and Implications. Doctoral Dissertation.