Neurofilament light polypeptide
tubulin binding
Investigating the Structural Variability and Binding Modes of the Glioma Targeting NFL-TBS.40-63 Peptide on Tubulin.
NFL-TBS.40-63 is a 24 amino acid peptide corresponding to the tubulin-binding site located on the light neurofilament subunit, which selectively enters glioblastoma cells, where it disrupts their microtubule network and inhibits their proliferation. We investigated its structural variability and binding modes on a tubulin heterodimer using a combination of NMR experiments, docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our results show that, while lacking a stable structure, the peptide preferentially binds on a specific single site located near the β-tubulin C-terminal end, thus giving us precious hints regarding the mechanism of action of the NFL-TBS.40-63 peptide's antimitotic activity at the molecular level.