A Hybrid of Amphiphilic α-Helical Peptides and meso-Tetra(α,α,α,α-o-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin. Membrane-Penetrating Porphyrin-4α-Helix Artificial Protein

Four amphiphilic α-helical peptides were hybridized with α,α,α,α-isomer of meso-tetra(o-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin to synthesize a picket-fence-type 4α-helix bundle polypeptide. The peptide sequence was designed so that the hybrid polypeptide could penetrate into phospholipid bilayers. Circular dichroism spectra showed that the hybrid folds in a complete four α-helix bundle structure both in methanol and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles.