Discussion

The design, synthesis and characterization of biophotonic nano-switches derived from Bcl-2 helices has been achieved. The conformation of these peptides and hence their activity in vitro and in vivo can be controlled with external light pulses trigger through early events in the commitment to cell death. Peptide behavior was explored in a highly accessible in vitro lymphoma cell system compatible with conventional probes for monitoring mitochondrial health and cell cycle status. The irreversible nature of the apoptosis pathway also suits a ‘switch-on’ system where apoptosis is induced by photoswitching rather than a ‘switch-off’ approach.