The effects of individual amino acids on the fast folding dynamics of alpha-helical peptides

Nanosecond temperature jump experiments coupled to time-resolved infrared spectroscopy were carried out on a series of alanine-based peptides containing different guest amino acids to study the effects of residues with different helix propensities on the helix-coil dynamics.     

海藻糖和氨基酸之间相互作用的分子动力学模拟

虽然海藻糖已经广泛用于蛋白质稳定性研究,但海藻糖稳定蛋白质的作用机理尚不清晰. 本文利用全原子分子动力学模拟研究了20种常见氨基酸和海藻糖之间的分子机理. 结果表明,所有氨基酸,尤其是极性和带电氨基酸,均优先与水分子结合. 相反,仅有疏水性氨基酸与海藻糖发生相互作用,尤其是芳香族和疏水性氨基酸的侧链更易于和海藻糖接触. 所有氨基酸的主链与水分子接触的趋势一致. 虽然氨基酸和海藻糖与水之间均形成氢键,但氨基酸和海藻糖之间的氢键相互作用要弱于氨基酸和水之间的氢键相互作用. 上述分子模拟的结果对于海藻糖稳定蛋白质作用机理的解析及高效蛋白质稳定剂的理性设计具有非常重要的理论指导意义.     

Synthesis and Conformational Preferences of a Potential beta-Sheet Nucleator Based on the 9,9-Dimethylxanthene Skeleton

A 4,5-disubstituted-9,9-dimethylxanthene-based amino acid (10) has been synthesized for incorporation into peptide sequences which have a propensity to adopt beta-sheet structure. Molecular dynamics studies support the FT-IR and NMR results which demonstrate that amides based on this residue utilize the NH and the C=O from the xanthene residue to form an intramolecular hydrogen bond (13-membered ring), unlike the previously studied dibenzofuran-based amino acid residues in which the NH and the C=O of the attached amide groups participate in intramolecular hydrogen bonding (15-membered ring). Interestingly, residue 10 derivatized as a simple amide prefers to adopt a trans conformation where the aliphatic side chains are placed on opposite sides of the plane of the 9,9-dimethylxanthene ring system. This is different than the conformational preferences of the dibenzofuran-based amino acids which adopt a cis conformation that is preorganized to nucleate beta-sheet formation. It will be interesting to see how these conformational differences effect nucleation in aqueous solution.     

海藻糖和氨基酸之间相互作用的分子动力学模拟

虽然海藻糖已经广泛用于蛋白质稳定性研究,但海藻糖稳定蛋白质的作用机理尚不清晰.本文利用全原子分子动力学模拟研究了20种常见氨基酸和海藻糖之间的分子机理.结果表明,所有氨基酸,尤其是极性和带电氨基酸,均优先与水分子结合.相反,仅有疏水性氨基酸与海藻糖发生相互作用,尤其是芳香族和疏水性氨基酸的侧链更易于和海藻糖接触.所有氨基酸的主链与水分子接触的趋势一致.虽然氨基酸和海藻糖与水之间均形成氢键,但氨基酸和海藻糖之间的氢键相互作用要弱于氨基酸和水之间的氢键相互作用.上述分子模拟的结果对于海藻糖稳定蛋白质作用机理的解析及高效蛋白质稳定剂的理性设计具有非常重要的理论指导意义.     

Enhanced peptide beta-sheet affinity by metal to ligand coordination

A histidine-coordinating metal complex substituted with methoxypyrrole amino acids (MOPAS) as a peptide beta-sheet binder shows high affinity for a H(2)N-His-Leu-Leu-Val-Phe-OMe pentapeptide in DMSO solution. Within the complex, a beta-sheet conformation is induced into the pentapeptide by weak intra-assembly interactions with the MOPAS units.     

Inhibition of amyloid fibril formation of human amylin by N-alkylated amino acid and alpha-hydroxy acid residue containing peptides

Amyloid deposits are formed as a result of uncontrolled aggregation of (poly)peptides or proteins. Today several diseases are known, for example Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, in which amyloid formation is involved. Amyloid fibrils are large aggregates of beta-pleated sheets and here a general method is described to introduce molecular mutations in order to achieve disruption of beta-sheet formation. Eight backbone-modified amylin derivatives, an amyloidogenic peptide involved in maturity onset diabetes, were synthesized. Their beta-sheet forming properties were studied by IR spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Modification of a crucial amide NH by an alkyl chain led to a complete loss of the beta-sheet forming capacity of amylin. The resulting molecular mutated amylin derivative could be used to break the beta-sheet thus retarding beta-sheet formation of unmodified amylin. Moreover, it was found that the replacement of this amide bond by an ester moiety suppressed fibrillogenesis significantly. Introduction of N-alkylated amino acids and/or ester functionalities-leading to depsipeptides-into amyloidogenic peptides opens new avenues towards novel peptidic beta-sheet breakers for inhibition of beta-amyloid aggregation.     

Effects of amino acid phi,psi propensities and secondary structure interactions in modulating H alpha chemical shifts in peptide and protein beta-sheet.

H alpha chemical shifts are often used as indicators of secondary structure formation in protein structural analysis and peptide folding studies. On the basis of NMR analysis of model beta-sheet and alpha-helical peptides, together with a statistical analysis of protein structures for which NMR data are available, we show that although the gross pattern of H alpha chemical shifts reflects backbone torsion angles, longer range effects from distant amino acids are the dominant factor determining experimental chemical shifts in beta-sheets of peptides and proteins. These show context-dependent variations that aid structural assignment and highlight anomalous shifts that may be of structural significance and provide insights into beta-sheet stability.     

Length dependence of the coil <--> beta-sheet transition in a membrane environment

The most abundant structural element in protein aggregates is the beta-sheet. Designed peptides that fold into a beta-sheet structure upon binding to lipid membranes are useful models to elucidate the thermodynamic characteristics of the random coil <-->beta-structure transition. Here, we examine the effect of strand length on the random coil <--> beta-sheet transition of the (KIGAKI)n peptide with the total chain length varying between 7 and 30 amino acids. The beta-sheet content of the peptides in the presence and absence of membranes was measured with circular dichroism spectroscopy. The peptides were titrated with small unilamellar lipid vesicles, and the thermodynamic binding parameters were determined with isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Membrane binding includes at least two processes, namely (i) the transfer of the peptide from the aqueous phase to the lipid surface and (ii) the conformational change from a random coil conformation to a beta-sheet structure. CD spectroscopy and ITC analysis demonstrate that beta-sheet formation depends cooperatively on the peptide chain length with a distinct increase in beta-structure for n > 10-12. Binding to the lipid membrane is an entropy-driven process as the binding enthalpy is always endothermic. The contribution of the beta-sheet folding reaction to the overall process was determined with analogues of the KIGAKI repeat where two adjacent amino acids were replaced by their D-enantiomers. The folding reaction for peptides with n >or= 12 is characterized by a negative free folding energy of DeltaG(degree)beta approximately equal -0.15 kcal/mol per amino acid residue. The folding step proper is exothermic with DeltaH(degree)(beta) approximately equal -0.2 to -0.6 kcal/mol per residue and counteracted by a negative entropy term TDeltaS(degree)(beta) = -0.1 to -0.5 kcal/mol per residue, depending on the chain length (18 相似文献   

Time-averaged predictions of folded and misfolded peptides using a reduced physicochemical model

Energy-based methods for calculating time-averaged peptide structures are important for rational peptide design, for defining local structure propensities in large protein chains, and for exploring the sequence determinants of amyloid formation. High-end methods are currently too slow to be practicable, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The challenge is to create a method that runs quickly on limited computer resources and emulates reality sufficiently well. We have developed a simplified off-lattice protein model, incorporating semi-empirical physicochemical potentials, and combined it with an efficient Monte Carlo method for calculating time-averaged peptide structures. Reasonably accurate predictions are found for a set of small alpha-helical and beta-hairpin peptides, and we demonstrate a potential application in measuring local structure propensities in protein chains. Time-averaged structures have also been calculated for a set of small peptides known to form beta-amyloid fibrils. The simulations were of three interacting peptides, and in each case the time-averaged structure describes a three-stranded beta-sheet. The performance of our method in measuring the propensities of small peptides to self-associate into possible prefibrillar species compares favorably with more detailed and CPU-intensive approaches.     

Synthesis and peptide binding properties of methoxypyrrole amino acids (MOPAS)

[structure: see text] Methoxypyrrole amino acids (MOPAS) have been prepared and were introduced into small peptides with hairpin structures. The intra- and intermolecular binding properties of this heterocyclic amino acid mimicking a dipeptido beta-strand was investigated by NMR titration and X-ray crystal structure analysis. The data reveal a hydrogen bonding pattern that is complementary to a peptide beta-sheet.     

The absence of favorable aromatic interactions between beta-sheet peptides

This paper asks whether interactions between phenylalanine (Phe) residues of the non-hydrogen-bonded cross-strand pairs of antiparallel beta-sheets are important and finds that they are not. Peptides 1a-d [o-BuO-C6H4CO-AA1-Orn(i-PrCO-Hao)-Phe-Ile-AA5-NHMe: 1a AA1, AA5 = Phe; 1b AA1, AA5 = Cha (cyclohexylalanine); 1c AA1 = Phe, AA5 = Cha; 1d AA1 = Cha, AA5 = Phe] provide a sensitive system for probing interactions between phenylalanine residues. These peptides form beta-sheet homodimers in organic solvents. When the homodimers of different peptides are mixed, they equilibrate to form heterodimers, as well as homodimers. The position of the equilibrium reflects the propensity of the first (AA1) and fifth (AA5) amino acids to interact within the non-hydrogen-bonded cross-strand pairs of beta-sheets. Mixing peptides 1a-d in all six possible binary combinations provides a measure of the relative propensities of Phe and Cha to pair. Analysis by 1H NMR spectroscopy of the equilibrium constants in CDCl3 solution reveals no significant preference for the formation of Phe-Phe pairs. The equilibria in all six experiments are essentially statistical (K approximately 4), and no (<0.1 kcal/mol) preference is seen for any pairing combination. A survey of Phe-Phe pairs in the Interchain beta-Sheet Database (http://www.igb.uci.edu/servers/icbs/) corroborates that little significant contact occurs between the aromatic rings in the non-hydrogen-bonded cross-strand pairs of antiparallel beta-sheets at the interface between polypeptide chains. Even though contacts between aromatic rings are favorable when they are of suitable geometry, the energetic price of achieving suitable geometries appears to offset the energetic benefits of such contacts in the current model system, as well as in proteins.     

Phosphate recognition in structural biology

Drug-discovery research in the past decade has seen an increased selection of targets with phosphate recognition sites, such as protein kinases and phosphatases, in the past decade. This review attempts, with the help of database-mining tools, to give an overview of the most important principles in molecular recognition of phosphate groups by enzymes. A total of 3003 X-ray crystal structures from the RCSB Protein Data Bank with bound organophosphates has been analyzed individually, in particular for H-bonding interactions between proteins and ligands. The various known binding motifs for phosphate binding are reviewed, and similarities to phosphate complexation by synthetic receptors are highlighted. An analysis of the propensities of amino acids in various classes of phosphate-binding enzymes showed characteristic distributions of amino acids used for phosphate binding. This review demonstrates that structure-based lead development and optimization should carefully address the phosphate-binding-site environment and also proposes new alternatives for filling such sites.     

Two-dimensional ordered beta-sheet lipopeptide monolayers

A series of amphiphilic lipopeptides, ALPs, consisting of an alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acid residue sequence coupled to a phospholipid tail, was designed to form supramolecular assemblies composed of beta-sheet monolayers decorated by lipid tails at the air-water interface. A straightforward synthetic approach based on solid-phase synthesis, followed by an efficient purification protocol was used to prepare the lipid-peptide conjugates. Structural insight into the organization of monolayers was provided by surface pressure versus area isotherms, circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brewster angle microscopy. In situ grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) revealed that lipopeptides six to eight amino acids in length form a new type of 2D self-organized monolayers that exhibit beta-sheet ribbons segregated by lipid tails. The conclusions drawn from the experimental findings were supported by a representative model based on molecular dynamics simulations of amphiphilic lipopeptides at the vacuum-water interface.     

Understanding self-assembled amphiphilic peptide supramolecular structures from primary structure helix propensity

Small amphiphilic peptides are attractive building blocks to design biocompatible supramolecular structures via self-assembly, with applications in, for example, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and nanotemplating. We address the influence of systematical changes in the amino acid sequence of such peptides on the self-assembled macromolecular structures. For cationic-head surfactant-like eight-residue peptides, the apolar tail amino acids were chosen to systematically vary the propensity to form an alpha-helical secondary structure while conserving the overall hydrophobicity of the sequence. Characterization of the supramolecular structures indicates that for short peptides a beta-sheet secondary structure correlates with ribbonlike assemblies while random-coil and alpha-helical secondary structures correlate with assembly of rods.     

The link between sequence and conformation in protein structures appears to be stereochemically established

In search of the link between sequence and conformation in protein structures, we perform molecular dynamics analysis of the effect of stereochemical mutation in end-protected octa-alanine Ac-Ala8-NHMe from poly-L to an alternating-L,D structure. The mutation has a dramatic effect, transforming the peptide from a condition of extreme sensitivity to one of extreme insensitivity to solvent. Examining the molecular folds of poly-L and alternating-L,D structure in atomistic detail, we find them to differ in the relationship between peptide dipolar interactions at the local and nonlocal levels, either conflicting or harmonious depending upon the chain stereochemistry. The stereochemical transformation of interpeptide electrostatics from a condition of conflict to one of harmony explains the long-standing puzzle of why poly-L and alternating-L,D peptides strongly differ in properties such as "stiffness" and solvent sensitivity. Furthermore, it is possible that poly-L stereochemistry is also the fulcrum of protein sensitivity to the effects of amino acid side-chain structures via dielectric arbitrations in interpeptide electrostatics. Indeed the evidence is accumulating that the amino acid side chains differing in alpha-helix and beta-sheet propensities also differ in their desolvating effects in the adjacent and nearest-neighbor peptides and thus possibly in the solvent screening of peptide dipolar interactions.     

Beta-turn modified gramicidin S analogues containing arylated sugar amino acids display antimicrobial and hemolytic activity comparable to the natural product

This paper describes the design and synthesis of gramicidin S (GS) analogues 10a-c containing arylated sugar amino acids (SAAs) as a replacement of one of the two (D)Phe-Pro beta-turn regions. The cyclic, amphiphilic peptides adopt a beta-sheet conformation featuring an unusual reverse turn induced by the SAAs. The altered turn region induces a slight distortion of the antiparallel beta-sheet, as compared to GS; the overall geometry however closely resembles that of the nonarylated GS analogue 1. GS analogues 10a-c proved to be as active as the parent GS itself as antibacterial agents and are equally efficient in lysing red blood cells. These properties are in sharp contrast to the diminished biological activity displayed by 1. We conclude that the presence of aromaticity in the turn regions of GS derivatives is required for biological activity, whereas the native conformation of the beta-hairpin is not. Our findings may guide future research toward efficient and nonhemolytic GS analogues for combating bacterial infections.     

A statistical analytical approach to predict the secondary structure of proteins from amino acid sequence information

A statistical analytical approach has been used to analyze the secondary structure (SS) of amino acids as a function of the sequence of amino acid residues. We have used 306 non-homologous best-resolved protein structures from the Protein Data Bank for the analysis. A sequence region of 32 amino acids on either side of the residue is considered in order to calculate single amino acid propensities, di-amino acid potentials and tri-amino acid potentials. A weighted sum of predictions obtained using these properties is used to suggest a final prediction method. Our method is as good as the best-known SS prediction methods, is the simplest of all the methods, and uses no homologous sequence/family alignment data, yet gives 72% SS prediction accuracy. Since the method did not use many other factors that may increase the prediction accuracy there is scope to achieve greater accuracy using this approach. Received: 4 May 1998 / Accepted: 17 September 1998 / Published online: 10 December 1998     

PreSSAPro: a software for the prediction of secondary structure by amino acid properties

PreSSAPro is a software, available to the scientific community as a free web service designed to provide predictions of secondary structures starting from the amino acid sequence of a given protein. Predictions are based on our recently published work on the amino acid propensities for secondary structures in either large but not homogeneous protein data sets, as well as in smaller but homogeneous data sets corresponding to protein structural classes, i.e. all-alpha, all-beta, or alpha–beta proteins. Predictions result improved by the use of propensities evaluated for the right protein class. PreSSAPro predicts the secondary structure according to the right protein class, if known, or gives a multiple prediction with reference to the different structural classes. The comparison of these predictions represents a novel tool to evaluate what sequence regions can assume different secondary structures depending on the structural class assignment, in the perspective of identifying proteins able to fold in different conformations. The service is available at the URL http://bioinformatica.isa.cnr.it/PRESSAPRO/.     

beta-Sheet ligands in action: KLVFF recognition by aminopyrazole hybrid receptors in water

Little is known about the precise mechanism of action of beta-sheet ligands, hampered by the notorious solubility problems involved with protein misfolding and amyloid formation. Recently the nucleation site for the pathogenic aggregation of the Alzheimer's peptide was identified as the KLVFF sequence in the central region of Abeta. A combination of two aminopyrazole ligands with di- or tripeptides taken from this key fragment now furnished water-soluble Abeta-specific ligands which allow model investigations in water. A detailed conformational analysis provides experimental evidence for an increased beta-sheet content induced in the peptide. Strong indications were also found for the peptide backbone recognition via hydrogen bonds plus hydrophobic contributions between aminopyrazole nuclei and Phe residues. The affinity of these new ligands toward the KKLVFF fragment is highly dependent on their sequence and composition from natural and artificial amino acids. Thus, for the first time, detailed insight is gained into the complexation of beta-sheet ligands with model peptides taken directly from Abeta.     

The SAAP force field: Development of the single amino acid potentials for 20 proteinogenic amino acids and Monte Carlo molecular simulation for short peptides

Molecular simulation by using force field parameters has been widely applied in the fields of peptide and protein research for various purposes. We recently proposed a new all‐atom protein force field, called the SAAP force field, which utilizes single amino acid potentials (SAAPs) as the fundamental elements. In this article, whole sets of the SAAP force field parameters in vacuo, in ether, and in water have been developed by ab initio calculation for all 20 proteinogenic amino acids and applied to Monte Carlo molecular simulation for two short peptides. The side‐chain separation approximation method was employed to obtain the SAAP parameters for the amino acids with a long side chain. Monte Carlo simulation for Met‐enkephalin (CHO‐Tyr‐Gly‐Gly‐Phe‐Met‐NH₂) by using the SAAP force field revealed that the conformation in vacuo is mainly controlled by strong electrostatic interactions between the amino acid residues, while the SAAPs and the interamino acid Lennard‐Jones potentials are predominant in water. In ether, the conformation would be determined by the combination of the three components. On the other hand, the SAAP simulation for chignolin (H‐Gly‐Tyr‐Asp‐Pro‐Glu‐Thr‐Gly‐Thr‐Trp‐Gly‐OH) reasonably reproduced a native‐like β‐hairpin structure in water although the C‐terminal and side‐chain conformations were different from the native ones. It was suggested that the SAAP force field is a useful tool for analyzing conformations of polypeptides in terms of intrinsic conformational propensities of the single amino acid units. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009