Molecular recognition at the membrane-water interface: controlling integral peptide helices by off-membrane nucleobase pairing

The design and synthesis of a double helical transmembrane domains on the basis of a newly derived D,L-alternating peptide pore motif from gramicidin A is reported. The highly hydrophobic and aromatic transmembrane peptide which is covalently functionalized with a short peptide nucleic acid (PNA) could be used as specific outer-membrane recognition unit.