SCMTR: A Chloride-Selective, Membrane-Anchored Peptide Channel that Exhibits Voltage Gating

Abstract
The design, synthesis, and characterization of a synthetic chloride membrane transporter, SCMTR (synthetic chloride membrane transporter, “scimitar”), are presented. The compound [CH3(CH2)17]2NCOCH2OCH2CO-GGGPGGG-OBzl inserts rapidly into liposomes and planar lipid bilayers. SCMTR has a 1.3 ± 0.01 nS chloride diffusion pathway (>10:1 Cl/K selectivity). Evidence was also obtained for voltage gating behavior.