Short Peptides Regulate Gene Expression

Abstract

Short peptides constitute the system of signal molecules regulating the functions of the organism at the molecular, genetic, subcellular, cellular, and tissue levels. One short peptide can regulate dozens of genes, but the molecular mechanism of this process remains unclear. We suppose that short peptides penetrate through the cytoplasmic and nuclear membrane and bind to DNA. Spatial models of DNA—peptide complexes are constructed for 19 short peptides by the docking method. Some peptides have the same binding sites. Peptides KE and EDP bind agat sequence, peptides KEDW and AED to acct sequence, and peptides AEDL and EDL to ctcc sequence.