Replacement of a proline with silaproline causes a 20-fold increase in the cellular uptake of a Pro-rich peptide

The results presented here show that elementary design enhancements have led to a 20-fold increase in the cellular uptake properties of a Pro-rich cell-penetrating peptide. These results are relevant not only due to the increasing interest in using CPPs as molecular shuttles for intracellular drug delivery but also because they illustrate the power of combining conformational analysis with rational design to modulate the behavior of biologically active compounds.