Novel biomarkers of protein oxidation sites and degrees using horse cytochrome c as the target by mass spectrometry

Biomarkers held both incredible application and significant challenge in probing the oxidation mechanisms of proteins under oxidative stress. Here, mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) was applied to establish a new pipeline to probe the oxidation sites and degrees of horse cytochrome c (HCC) with its oxidative products serving as the biomarkers. Samples of native and UV/H(2)O(2) oxidized HCCs were digested by trypsin and subjected to biomarker discovery using LC/MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Experiment results proved that the main oxidation sites were located at Cys(14), Cys(17), Met(65) and Met(80) residues in peptides C(14)AQC(heme)HTVEK(22), C(14)AQCHTVEK(22), E(60)ETLMEYLENPKK(73), M(80)IFAGIK(86) and M(80)IFAGIKK(87). Quantitative analysis on the oxidized peptides showed the oxidation degrees of target sites had positive correlations with extended oxidation dose and controlled by residues types and their accessibility to solvent molecules. Being able to provide plentiful information for the oxidation sites and oxidation degrees, the identified oxidized products were feasibility biomarkers for HCC oxidation, compared with the conventional protein carbonyl assay.     

Reactivity of Tyr–Leu and Leu–Tyr dipeptides: identification of oxidation products by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

The exposure of peptides and proteins to reactive hydroxyl radicals results in covalent modifications of amino acid side‐chains and protein backbone. In this study we have investigated the oxidation the isomeric peptides tyrosine–leucine (YL) and leucine–tyrosine (LY), by the hydroxyl radical formed under Fenton reaction (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂). Through mass spectrometry (MS), high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC‐MS) and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MSⁿ) measurements, we have identified and characterized the oxidation products of these two dipeptides. This approach allowed observing and identifying a wide variety of oxidation products, including isomeric forms of the oxidized dipeptides. We detected oxidation products with 1, 2, 3 and 4 oxygen atoms for both peptides; however, oxidation products with 5 oxygen atoms were only present in LY. LY dipeptide oxidation leads to more isomers with 1 and 2 oxygen atoms than YL (3 vs 5 and 4 vs 5, respectively). Formation of the peroxy group occurred preferentially in the C‐terminal residue. We have also detected oxidation products with double bonds or keto groups, dimers (YL–YL and LY–LY) and other products as a result of cross‐linking. Both amino acids in the dipeptides were oxidized although the peptides showed different oxidation products. Also, amino acid residues have shown different oxidation products depending on the relative position on the dipeptide. Results suggest that amino acids in the C‐terminal position are more prone to oxidation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxidation of bovine serum albumin: identification of oxidation products and structural modifications

Albumin is an important plasma antioxidant protein, contributing to protecting mechanisms of cellular and regulatory long‐lived proteins. The metal‐catalyzed oxidation (MCO) of proteins plays an important role during oxidative stress. In this study, we examine the oxidative modification of albumin using an MCO in vitro system. Mass spectrometry, combined with off‐line nano‐liquid chromatography, was used to identify modifications in amino acid residues. We have found 106 different residues oxidatively damaged, being the main oxidized residues lysines, cysteines, arginines, prolines, histidines and tyrosines. Besides protein hydroxyl derivatives and oxygen additions, we detected other modifications such as deamidations, carbamylations and specific amino acid oxidative modifications. The oxidative damage preferentially affects particular subdomains of the protein at different time‐points. Results suggest the oxidative damage occurs first in exposed regions near cysteine disulfide bridges with residues like methionine, tryptophan, lysine, arginine, tyrosine and proline appearing as oxidatively modified. The damage extended afterwards with further oxidation of cysteine residues involved in disulfide bridges and other residues like histidine, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The time‐course evaluation also shows the number of oxidized residues does not increase linearly, suggesting that oxidative unfolding of albumin occurs through a step‐ladder mechanism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mass Spectra and Ion Collision Cross Sections of Hemoglobin

Mass spectra of commercially obtained hemoglobin (Hb) show higher levels of monomer and dimer ions, heme-deficient dimer ions, and apo-monomer ions than hemoglobin freshly prepared from blood. This has previously been attributed to oxidation of commercial Hb. Further, it has been reported that that dimer ions from commercial bovine Hb have lower collision cross sections than low charge state monomer ions. To investigate these effects further, we have recorded mass spectra of fresh human Hb, commercial human and bovine Hb, fresh human Hb oxidized with H₂O₂, lyophilized fresh human Hb, fresh human Hb both lyophilized and chemically oxidized, and commercial human Hb oxidized with H₂O₂. Masses of α-monomer ions of all hemoglobins agree with the masses expected from the sequences within 3 Da or better. Mass spectra of the β chains of commercial Hb and oxidized fresh human Hb show a peak or shoulder on the high mass side, consistent with oxidation of the protein. Both commercial proteins and oxidized fresh human Hb produce heme-deficient dimers with masses 32 Da greater than expected and higher levels of monomer and dimer ions than fresh Hb. Lyophilization or oxidation of Hb both produce higher levels of monomer and dimer ions in mass spectra. Fresh human Hb, commercial human Hb, commercial bovine Hb, and oxidized commercial human Hb all give dimer ions with cross sections greater than monomer ions. Thus, neither oxidation of Hb or the difference in sequence between human and bovine Hb make substantial differences to cross sections of ions.     

Identification of isomeric 5‐hydroxytryptophan‐ and oxindolylalanine‐containing peptides by mass spectrometry

Cells continuously produce reactive oxidative species that can modify all cellular components. In proteins, for example, cysteine, methionine, tryptophan (Trp), and tyrosine residues are particularly prone to oxidation. Here, we report two new approaches to distinguish two isomeric oxidation products of Trp residues, i.e. 5‐hydroxytryptophan (5‐HTP) and oxindolylalanine (Oia) residues, in peptides. First, 2‐nitrobenzenesulfenyl chloride, known to derivatize Trp residues in position 2 of the indole ring, was used to label 5‐HTP residues. The mass shift of 152.98 m/z units allowed identifying 5‐HTP‐ besides Trp‐containing peptides by mass spectrometry, whereas Oia residues were not labeled. Second, fragmentation of the Oia‐ and 5‐HTP‐derived immonium ions at m/z 175.08 produced ions characteristic for each residue that allowed their identification even in the presence of y₁ ions at m/z 175.12 derived from peptides with C‐terminal arginine residues. The pseudo MS³ spectra acquired on a quadrupole time‐of‐flight hybrid mass spectrometer displayed two signals at m/z 130.05 and m/z 132.05 characteristic for Oia‐containing peptides and a group of six signals (m/z 103.04, 120.04, 130.04, 133.03, 146.04, and 148.04) for 5‐HTP‐cointaining peptides. In both cases, the relative signal intensities appeared to be independent of the sequence providing a specific fingerprint of each oxidative modification. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative display of the redox status of proteins with maleimide‐polyethylene glycol tagging

Cysteine oxidation, either biologically reversible or irreversible, is the main posttranslational modification associated with redox signaling and oxidative stress. Maleimide‐polyethylene glycol (m‐PEG) has been used to detect reversibly oxidized proteins by reacting to the reduced cysteine residues leading to mobility shift in immunoblots; a method called PEG‐switch. With PEG‐switch, both reduced and oxidized proteins can be observed on the same immunoblot simultaneously, providing a simple quantitative measurement for protein thiol modifications. In this report, we optimized the assay conditions and exploited the applications of PEG‐switch in quantitation of the extent of protein thiol oxidation in cells in response to H₂O₂ and insulin. In addition, we have proposed a redox scoring system for measuring the redox status of any given protein from the m‐PEG immunoblot. Our results provided quantitative data showing that two cysteine residues of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B are prone to oxidation following insulin treatment in cultured HeLa cells.     

Characterization of dehydroascorbate‐mediated modification of glutaredoxin by mass spectrometry

Ascorbate is as a potent antioxidant in vivo protecting the organism against oxidative stress. In this process, ascorbate is oxidized in two steps to dehydroascorbate (DHA), which if not efficiently reduced back to ascorbate decomposes irreversibly to a complex mixture of products. We demonstrate that a component of this mixture specifically reacts with the thiol group of cysteine residues at physiological pH to give a protein adduct involving the addition of a 5‐carbon fragment of DHA (+112 Da). Incubations of glutaredoxin‐1 expressed in Escherichia coli and dehydroascorbate revealed abundant adducts of +112, +224 and +336 Da due to the addition of one, two and three conjugation products of DHA, respectively. ESI–MS of carbamidomethylated glutaredoxin‐1 before incubation with DHA, deuterium exchange together with tandem mass spectrometry analysis and LC–ESIMS/MS of modified peptides confirmed structure and sites of modification in the protein. Modification of protein thiols by a DHA‐derived product can be involved in oxidative stress‐mediated cellular toxicity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of intact oxidation products of glycerophospholipids in vitro and in vivo using negative ion electrospray iontrap mass spectrometry

Free radical‐induced oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids esterified to phospholipids have been implicated in a number of human diseases including atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Some of these phospholipid oxidation products have potent biological activities and likely contribute to human pathophysiological conditions. Oxidation products have also been used as markers of oxidative stress in vivo. Identification and quantification of phospholipid oxidation products are often performed by analyzing the oxidized free fatty acid moieties after hydrolysis from the phospholipids head groups by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) or liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). We now describe the definitive identification of intact oxidized products of glycerophospholipids including glycerophosphatidylcholine (GPC), glycerophosphatidylethanolamine (GPE), and glycerophosphatidylserine (GPS) in vitro and in vivo using iontrap MS. For these analyses, the negative ions of the oxidation products of phospholipids are fragmented to MSⁿ and unequivocal structural characterization is obtained based on collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of the sn‐2 carboxylate ion. This technique overcomes the need to hydrolyze fatty acids from phospholipids in the analysis. The method has been used to identify a number of oxidation products of glycerophospholipids including hydroxyeicosatetraenoates (HETEs) and isoprostanes (IsoPs) esterified to different classes of glycerophospholipids in vitro and in vivo. These studies thus provide a new approach to identify the intact oxidation products of glycerolphospholipids. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Online H/D exchange liquid chromatography as a support for the mass spectrometric identification of the oxidation products of melatonin

The hydrogen–deuterium exchange of protonated melatonin and its in vitro oxidation end‐products have been examined by liquid chromatography coupled with ion‐trap mass spectrometry. Specific H/D scrambling of protons in the C2 and C4 positions of the indole ring during gas‐phase fragmentation process was observed for both melatonin and its oxidation products. Collision‐induced dissociation spectra showed losses of variably deuterated NH₃, H₂O and CH₃CONH₂. In addition, a similar H/D scrambling behaviour was observed for the oxidation products, obtained from the opening of the indole ring by oxidative attack. Fragmentation pathways are proposed and H/D scrambling has been employed as a fingerprint, allowing identification of N¹‐acetyl‐5‐methoxykynurenin (AMK), N¹‐acetyl‐N²‐formyl‐5‐methoxykynurenin (AFMK), dehydro‐AFMK and hydroxymelatonin as the oxidation products of melatonin in vitro. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strategy for identification and detection of multiple oxidative modifications within proteins applied on persulfate-oxidized hemoglobin and human serum albumin

Oxidative stress has been suggested as an underlying mechanism of many human diseases. However, definitive evidence for this association has not been presented due to different shortcomings of the methods used to measure biomarkers of oxidative stress. Persulfates are oxidizing agents known to elicit hypersensitive reactions from the airways and skin. Despite a frequent use of persulfates at many work places, no biomarkers for persulfate exposure are available. The aim of this study was to develop a strategy for the identification and detection of multiple oxidative modifications within proteins. This strategy was applied on persulfate-oxidized proteins to identify oxidized peptides suitable for further investigation as biomarkers of persulfate exposure or oxidative stress. A strategy for the identification and the relative quantification of multiple oxidative modifications within proteins was developed. The usage of two software packages facilitated the search for modified peptides to a great extent. Oxidized peptides were relatively quantified using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode. The result showed that persulfates oxidize tryptophans and methionines resulting in mass shifts of 16 and/or 32 Da. Also, oxidized albumin peptides in nasal lavage fluid samples from subjects challenged with persulfate were detected. The oxidation degree before and after challenge remained constant for peptides containing methionine sulfoxide. For peptides containing oxidized tryptophan the oxidation degree increased after exposure. Some of these oxidized peptides may be suitable as biomarkers; however, further evaluation is required.     

Systematic characterization of the covalent interactions between (−)‐epigallocatechin gallate and peptides under physiological conditions by mass spectrometry

(?)‐Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a major bioactive component in leaves of green tea, and has been widely investigated for its anti‐tumor activity. The interaction between EGCG and the key peptides or proteins (e.g. glutathione, enzymes) in vivo is thought to be involved in the toxicity and anti‐cancer mechanism of EGCG. However, the true anti‐tumor mechanism of EGCG is not clear, and few studies have focused on the reactivity of EGCG toward peptides or proteins under physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37°C). In this work, the covalent interactions between EGCG and model peptides containing one or more nucleophilic residues (i.e. Arg, Cys, Met, and α‐NH₂ of the N‐terminus of peptides) under physiological condition were fully characterized using mass spectrometry. It was found that EGCG can react with the thiol groups of peptides to form adducts under physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37°C), even in the absence of the peroxidase/hydrogen peroxide system. Besides the thiol groups of peptides, it is firstly reported that EGCG also reacts with α‐NH₂ of the N‐terminus or arginine residues of model peptides to form Schiff base adducts, and the methionine residues of model peptides can be easily oxidized by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) generated during the process of EGCG auto‐oxidation to form methionine sulfoxide products. The preference for the reaction of nucleophlic residues of peptides with EGCG was determined to have the following order: Cys > α‐NH₂ of the N‐terminus > Arg. The neutral loss ions of [M+H–170]⁺ and [M+H‐138]⁺ were detected in all tandem mass spectra of the EGCG adducts of peptides, which indicates that these two neutral loss ions can be considered as the characteristic neutral loss ions of peptides modified by EGCG. Results of the present research provide insights into the toxicology and anti‐tumor mechanism of EGCG in vivo. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of modification sites on human serum albumin and human hemoglobin adducts with houttuynin using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Houttuynin, a β‐keto aldehyde compound, is the major active ingredient in herba houttuyniae injection. The injection was once used as an anti‐inflammatory drug associated with occasional serious hypersensitivity reactions in the clinic, which were proposed to be related to the formation of protein adducts. N^α‐Boc‐lysine, FEEM and IVTNTT were used as model amino acids or peptides containing one nucleophilic residue to investigate adduct types by liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry (LC/MSⁿ) and high‐resolution quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (Q‐TOF MS). These adducts were respectively characterized as Schiff bases formed by 1:1 reaction of houttuynin with lysine or N‐terminal residue and pyridinium adducts by 2:1 reaction. LC/MSⁿ analysis of trypsin digests of HSA/Hb incubations with houttuynin revealed that houttuynin‐modified HSA adducts were formed mainly at N‐terminal amino acid and lysine residues, specifically at Lys‐212, Lys‐414 and Lys‐525 for Schiff base adducts, and at Lys‐414 and Lys‐432 for pyridinium adducts, and houttuynin adducted more readily with N‐terminal valine of the α‐ and β‐chains in Hb and lysine amine (Lys‐62) of the β‐chain for Schiff base adducts. The results showed the direct modification of houttuynin to HSA/Hb in vitro, which was speculated to be responsible for the adverse reactions induced by houttuyniae injection. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CD Spectra in Methanol of β‐Oligopeptides Consisting of β‐Amino Acids with Functionalized Side Chains,with Alternating Configuration,and with Geminal Backbone Substituents – Fingerprints of New Secondary Structures?

β‐Hexa‐, β‐hepta‐, and β‐nonapeptides, 1 – 6 , which carry functionalized side chains (CO₂R, CO, (CH₂)₄NH, CH₂−CH=CH₂) consisting of β³‐amino‐acid residues of alternating configuration, or which carry geminal substituents in the 2‐ or 3‐positions of all residues, have been synthesized (Schemes 1 – 3), and their CD spectra in MeOH are reported (Figs. 2 – 6). Strong Cotton effects (Θ>10⁵) are indicative of the presence of chiral secondary structures. It is suggested by simple modelling (Fig. 1) that the new β‐peptides should not be able to fold to the familiar 3₁₄‐helical structures. Still, three of them ( 3 , 4 , and 5 ) give rise to CD spectra matching those of β‐peptides that are known to be present as (M)‐ or (P)‐3₁₄‐helices in MeOH solution. While possible folding motifs (Figs. 3,b, and 7) of the new β‐peptides have been identified in crystal structures, an interpretation of the CD spectra has to be postponed until NMR solution structures become available. A list of all β‐peptides giving rise to CD spectra with a minimum near 215 nm is included (Table).     

Electrochemical oxidation and cleavage of peptides analyzed with on-line mass spectrometric detection

An on-line electrochemistry/electrospray mass spectrometry system (EC/MS) is described that allows fast analysis of the oxidation products of peptides. A range of peptides was oxidized in an electrochemical cell by application of a potential ramp from 0 to 1.5 V during passage of the sample. Electrochemical oxidation of peptides was found to occur readily when tyrosine was present. Tyrosine was found to be oxidized between 0.5 and 1.0 V to various oxidation products, including peptide fragments formed by hydrolysis at the C-terminal side of tyrosine. The results confirm earlier knowledge on the mechanisms and reaction products of chemical and electrochemical peptide oxidation. Methionine residues are also readily oxidized, but do not induce peptide cleavage. At potentials higher than about 1.1 V, additional oxidation products were observed in some peptides, including loss of 28 Da from the C-terminus and dimerization. The tyrosine-specific cleavage reaction suggests a possible use of the EC/MS system as an on-line protein digestion and peptide mapping system. In addition, the system can be used to distinguish phosphorylated from unphosphorylated tyrosine residues. Four forms of the ZAP-70 peptide ALGADDSYYTAR with both, either or neither tyrosine phosphorylated were subjected to a 0-1.5 V potential ramp. Oxidation of, and cleavage adjacent to, tyrosine was observed exclusively at unphosphorylated tyrosine residues.     

Analysis of oxidation process of cholecystokinin octapeptide with reactive oxygen species by high‐performance liquid chromatography and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The C‐terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK8) includes some easily oxidizable amino acids. The oxidation of CCK8 by reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and hydroxyl radicals (OH^?) was investigated using reversed‐phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mechanism of oxidation of CCK8 in the H₂O₂ system differed from that of CCK8 in the Fenton system, in which OH^? are produced. In the H₂O₂ system, ²⁸Met and ³¹Met were oxidized to methionine sulfoxide, and no further oxidation or degradation/hydrolysis occurred. On the other hand, in the Fenton system, ²⁸Met and ³¹Met residues were oxidized to methionine sulfone via the formation of methionine sulfoxide. In addition, the oxidized product was observed at the Trp residue but not at the Tyr residue, and small peptide fragments from CCK8 were observed in the Fenton system. From these results, it was concluded that ²⁸Met and ³¹Met residues of CCK8 are susceptible to oxidation by ROS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry characterization of oxidized amyloid beta peptides as potential biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the deposition of senile plaques that consist primarily of amyloid beta peptides. There is substantial evidence that amyloid beta is oxidized in vivo, which has led to the suggestion that oxidative stress is an important mediator of Alzheimer's disease. Metal-catalyzed oxidation can mimic in vivo oxidation of amyloid beta because the metal ion binds to the amino acid residues at the site of oxidation, which then deliver reactive oxygen species to that site. Based on electrospray mass spectrometry, it has been suggested that metal-catalyzed oxidation occurs on histidines-13 and -14. Unfortunately, the amyloid beta peptides provide complex spectra, so it is difficult to definitively characterize the sites of oxidation. Trypsin digestion of both native and oxidized amyloid beta1-16 and amyloid beta1-40 resulted in the formation of tryptic peptides corresponding to amyloid beta6-16, which could be separated by liquid chromatography (LC). Sites of oxidation were then unequivocally characterized as histidine-13 and histidine-14 by LC/tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) analysis of the tryptic peptides. The ability to analyze the specific amyloid beta6-16 tryptic fragments derived from full-length amyloid beta peptides will make it possible to determine whether oxidation in vivo occurs at specific histidine residues and/or at other amino acid residues such as methionine-35. Using methodology based on LC/MS/MS it will also be possible to analyze the relative amounts of oxidized peptides and native peptide in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer's disease as biomarkers of oxidative stress.     

Rapid method for quantifying the extent of methionine oxidation in intact calmodulin

We have developed a method for rapidly quantifying the extent to which the functionally important Met¹⁴⁴ and Met¹⁴⁵ residues near the C-terminus of calmodulin (CaM) are converted to the corresponding sulfoxides, Met(O). The method utilizes a whole protein collision-induced dissociation (CID) approach on an electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-Q-TOF) mass spectrometer. Using standards of CaM oxidized by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻), we demonstrated that CID fragmentation of the protein ions resulted in a series of C-terminal singly charged y₁–y₁₅ ions. Fragments larger than y₄ exhibited mass shifts of +16 or +32 Da, corresponding to oxidation of one or two methionines, respectively. To assess the extent of oxidative modification for Met¹⁴⁴ and Met¹⁴⁵ to Met(O), we averaged the ratio of intensities for y _n , y _n + 16, and y _n + 32 ions, where n = 6–9. By alternating MS and CID scans at low and high collision energies, this technique allowed us to rapidly determine both the distribution of intact CaM oxiforms and the extent of oxidative modification in the C-terminal region of the protein in a single run. We have applied the method to studies of the repair of fully oxidized CaM by methionine sulfoxide reductases (MsrA and MsrB), which normally function in concert to reduce the S and R stereoisomers of methionine sulfoxide. We found that repair of Met(O)¹⁴⁴ and Met(O)¹⁴⁵ did not go to completion, but was more efficient than average Met repair. Absence of complete repair is consistent with previous studies showing that accumulation of methionine sulfoxide in CaM can occur during aging (Gao, J.; Yin, D.; Yao, Y.; Williams, T. D.; Squier, T. C. Biochemistry 1998, 37, 9536–9548).     

β‐Peptide Conjugates: Syntheses and CD and NMR Investigations of β/α‐Chimeric Peptides,of a DPA‐β‐Decapeptide,and of a PEGylated β‐Heptapeptide

β³‐Peptides consisting of six, seven, and ten homologated proteinogenic amino acid residues have been attached to an α‐heptapeptide (all d‐ amino acid residues; 4 ), to a hexaethylene glycol chain (PEGylation; 5c ), and to dipicolinic acid (DPA derivative 6 ), respectively. The conjugation of the β‐peptides with the second component was carried out through the N‐termini in all three cases. According to NMR analysis (CD₃OH solutions), the (M)‐3₁₄‐helical structure of the β‐peptidic segments was unscathed in all three chimeric compounds (Figs. 2, 4, and 5). The α‐peptidic section of the α/β‐peptide was unstructured, and so was the oligoethylene glycol chain in the PEGylated compound. Thus, neither does the appendage influence the β‐peptidic secondary structure, nor does the latter cause any order in the attached oligomers to be observed by this method of analysis. A similar conclusion may be drawn from CD spectra (Figs. 1, 3, and 5). These results bode well for the development of delivery systems involving β‐peptides.     

Can Helical Peptides Unwind One Turn at a Time? ‐ Controlled Conformational Transitions in α,β2,3‐Hybrid Peptides

Unfolding of helical trans‐β^2,3‐hybrid peptides with (α–β)_nα composition, when executed by increasing solvent polarity or temperature, proceeded in a systematic manner with the turns unwinding sequentially; C‐terminal region of these peptides were first to unwind and the process propagated towards N terminus with more and more β residues equilibrating from the gauche to the anti rotameric state across C_α?C_β. This is evidenced by clear change in their C_βH signal splitting, ³J_CαH–CβH values, and sequential disappearance of i,i+2 NOEs.     

The Miraculous CD Spectra (and Secondary Structures?) of β‐Peptides as They Grow Longer,Preliminary Communication

The recently improved conditions for solid‐phase synthesis of β³‐peptides by the Fmoc strategy were used to synthesize a β‐tetracosapeptide ( 4 , Scheme) composed of eight different β‐amino acid residues; 11 of the 24 residues carry functionalized proteinogenic side chains (namely those of Glu, Lys, Ser, and Tyr). The highly H₂O‐soluble β‐tetracosapeptide was identified by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy (in MeOH), analytical HPL chromatography, and ESI‐mass spectrometry (Fig. 1). The expected 3₁₄‐helical secondary structure of the new β‐peptide was designed to have one hydrophobic and two hydrophilic faces, and to be compared with other β‐peptides ( 1 – 3 ), two of which are also of amphipathic character in this secondary structure (Fig. 2). In the absence of NMR‐structural proof, the CD spectra of the four β‐peptides were compared (Figs. 3 and 4). The β‐tetracosapeptide exhibits an unprecedented CD pattern (in MeOH and in H₂O solution) that may arise from a new type of secondary structure or from an unordered conformation.