Isolation and initial application of a novel peptide that specifically recognizes the neural stem cells derived from rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells

The search for new receptor ligands is important in the study of embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation processes. In this study, a novel peptide (HGEVPRFHAVHL) with a specific ability to bind with neural stem cells derived from rhesus monkey ES cells was successfully screened out using a Ph.D-12 peptide phage display library. High affinity and specificity of the HGE phage were shown in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The binding ability of the phage could be matched with that of a chemically synthesized peptide with a sequence identical to that displayed by the phage, indicating that this binding capability manifests a peptide sequence. Combined with quantum dots, the HGE peptide can be used as a direct tool to show optical imaging of specific binding on a single cell membrane. Further results of Western blot showed that the HGE peptide interacted with 48/34-kDa proteins on the membrane of neural stem cells. This work is the first time that a phage display technique has been applied in ES cell differentiation studies. The findings extend the utilization of a targeting agent for neural stem cells and can also be used as a research tool in studying other cell lineages derived from ES cells.