The relationship between peptide plane rotation (PPR) and similar conformations

Currently, several energy functions and conformational search methods have been developed that are based on the observed distribution of phi and psi angles in protein structures. The definition of phi and psi angles is directly related to the orientation of the peptide plane (CA CO NH CA). Starting from one conformation and rotating a single peptide plane, the angles psi for one residue and phi for the consecutive residue that are linked by the peptide plane, display a continuous range of values within one global conformation. When peptide plane rotation is analyzed in several different conformations generated from a restricted conformation database, a large number of these conformations are related. Based on these observations, a new simplified all-atom representation for protein folding simulations is presented where only one torsion angle variable is required for each residue. The underlying theme of this article is that conformational search methods using phi and psi torsion space, search through many redundant conformations. These conformations are related by anticorrelated torsion changes of peptide plane rotations. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 947–955, 1999     

A conformational dynamics study of alpha-l-Rhap-(1-->2)[alpha-l-Rhap-(1-->3)]-alpha-l-Rhap-OMe in solution by NMR experiments and molecular simulations

The conformational preference of alpha-l-Rhap-(1-->2)[alpha-l-Rhap-(1-->3)]-alpha-l-Rhap-OMe in solution has been studied by NMR spectroscopy using one-dimensional (1)H,(1)H T-ROESY experiments and measurement of trans-glycosidic (3)J(C,H) coupling constants. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with a CHARMM22 type of force field modified for carbohydrates were performed with water as the explicit solvent. The homonuclear cross-relaxation rates, interpreted as effective proton-proton distances, were compared to those obtained from simulation. Via a Karplus torsional relationship, (3)J(C,H) values were calculated from simulation and compared to experimental data. Good agreement was observed between experimental data and the MD simulation, except for one inter-residue T-ROE between protons in the terminal sugar residues. The results show that the trisaccharide exhibits substantial conformational flexibility, in particular along the psi glycosidic torsion angles. Notably, for these torsions, a high degree of correlation (77%) was observed in the MD simulation revealing either psi(2)(+) psi(3)(+) or psi(2)(-)psi(3)(-) states. The simulations also showed that non-exoanomeric conformations were present at the phi torsion angles, but to a limited extent, with the phi(3) state populated to a larger extent than the phi(2) state. Further NMR analysis of the trisaccharide by translational diffusion measurements and (13)C T(1) relaxation experiments quantified global reorientation using an anisotropic model together with interpretation of the internal dynamics via the "model-free" approach. Fitting of the dynamically averaged states to experimental data showed that the psi(2)(+)psi(3)(+) state is present to approximately 49%, psi(2)(-) psi(3)(-) to approximately 39%, and phi(3) (non-exo) to approximately 12%. Finally, using a dynamic and population-averaged model, (1)H,(1)H T-ROE buildup curves were calculated using a full relaxation matrix approach and were found to be in excellent agreement with experimental data, in particular for the above inter-residue proton-proton interaction between the terminal residues.     

On the flexibility of beta-peptides

The full conformational space was explored for an achiral and two chiral beta-peptide models: namely For-beta-Ala-NH2, For-beta-Abu-NH2, and For-beta-Aib-NH2. Stability and conformational properties of all three model systems were computed at different levels of theory: RHF/3-21G, B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)//RHF/3-21G, B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), MP2//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), CCSD//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), and CCSD(T)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). In addition, ab initio E = E(phi, micro, psi) potential energy hypersurfaces of all three models were determined, and their topologies were analyzed to determine the inherent flexibility properties of these beta-peptide models. Fewer points were found and assigned than expected on the basis of Multidimensional Conformational Analysis (MDCA). Furthermore, it has been demonstrated, that the four-dimensional surface, E = E(phi, mu, psi), can be reduced into a three-dimensional one: E = E[phi, f(phi), psi]. This reduction of dimensionality of freedom of motion suggests that beta-peptides are less flexible than one would have thought. This agrees with experimental data published on the conformational properties of peptides composed of beta-amino acid residues.     

Free energy surfaces for the alpha(1 --> 4)-glycosidic linkage: implications for polysaccharide solution structure and dynamics

We present a potential of mean force surface for rotation about phi and psi dihedral angles of the alpha(1 --> 4)-glycosidic linkage in the maltose disaccharide (4-O-alpha-d-glucopyranosyl-d-glucopyranose) in aqueous solution. Comparison of the vacuum and solution free energy surfaces for maltose shows the principal effects of water to be an increase in the rotational freedom of the alpha(1 --> 4) linkage brought about by lowering the energy barrier for syn to anti conformational changes as well as expansion of the range of low-energy phi,psi conformations. This free energy analysis thus provides a thermodynamic and conformational rationale for the effects of water on alpha(1 --> 4)-linked polysaccharides and carbohydrate glasses.     

Structure distribution in an elastin-mimetic peptide (VPGVG)3 investigated by solid-state NMR

Elastin is an extracellular-matrix protein that imparts elasticity to tissues. We have used solid-state NMR to determine a number of distances and torsion angles in an elastin-mimetic peptide, (VPGVG)3, to understand the structural basis of elasticity. C-H and C-N distances between the V6 carbonyl and the V9 amide segment were measured using 13C-15N and 13C-1H rotational-echo double-resonance experiments. The results indicate the coexistence of two types of intramolecular distances: a third of the molecules have short C-H and C-N distances of 3.3 +/- 0.2 and 4.3 +/- 0.2 A, respectively, while the rest have longer distances of about 7 A. Complementing the distance constraints, we measured the (phi, psi ) torsion angles of the central pentameric unit using dipolar correlation NMR. The -angles of P7 and G8 are predominantly ~150, thus restricting the majority of the peptide to be extended. Combining all torsion angles measured for the five residues, the G8 C chemical shift, and the V6-V9 distances, we obtained a bimodal structure distribution for the PG residues in VPGVG. The minor form is a compact structure with a V6-V9 C=O-HN hydrogen bond and can be either a type II -turn or a previously unidentified turn with Pro (phi = -70, psi= 20 +/- 20) and Gly ( phi= -100 +/- 20, psi = -20 +/- 20). The major form is an extended and distorted beta-strand without a V6-V9 hydrogen bond and differs from the ideal parallel and antiparallel beta-strands. The other three residues in the VPGVG unit mainly adopt antiparallel beta-sheet torsion angles. Since (VPGVG)3 has the same 13C and 15N isotropic and anisotropic chemical shifts as the elastin-mimetic protein (VPGXG)n (X = V and K, n = 195), the observed conformational distribution around Pro and Gly sheds light on the molecular mechanism of elastin elasticity.     

Estimating kinetic rates from accelerated molecular dynamics simulations: alanine dipeptide in explicit solvent as a case study

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is the standard computational technique used to obtain information on the time evolution of the conformations of proteins and many other molecular systems. However, for most biological systems of interest, the time scale for slow conformational transitions is still inaccessible to standard MD simulations. Several sampling methods have been proposed to address this issue, including the accelerated molecular dynamics method. In this work, we study the extent of sampling of the phi/psi space of alanine dipeptide in explicit water using accelerated molecular dynamics and present a framework to recover the correct kinetic rate constant for the helix to beta-strand transition. We show that the accelerated MD can drastically enhance the sampling of the phi/psi conformational phase space when compared to normal MD. In addition, the free energy density plots of the phi/psi space show that all minima regions are accurately sampled and the canonical distribution is recovered. Moreover, the kinetic rate constant for the helix to beta-strand transition is accurately estimated from these simulations by relating the diffusion coefficient to the local energetic roughness of the energy landscape. Surprisingly, even for such a low barrier transition, it is difficult to obtain enough transitions to accurately estimate the rate constant when one uses normal MD.     

Application of torsion angle molecular dynamics for efficient sampling of protein conformations

We investigate the application of torsion angle molecular dynamics (TAMD) to augment conformational sampling of peptides and proteins. Interesting conformational changes in proteins mainly involve torsional degrees of freedom. Carrying out molecular dynamics in torsion space does not only explicitly sample the most relevant degrees of freedom, but also allows larger integration time steps with elimination of the bond and angle degrees of freedom. However, the covalent geometry needs to be fixed during internal coordinate dynamics, which can introduce severe distortions to the underlying potential surface in the extensively parameterized modern Cartesian-based protein force fields. A "projection" approach (Katritch et al. J Comput Chem 2003, 24, 254-265) is extended to construct an accurate internal coordinate force field (ICFF) from a source Cartesian force field. Torsion crossterm corrections constructed from local molecular fragments, together with softened van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, are used to recover the potential surface and incorporate implicit bond and angle flexibility. MD simulations of dipeptide models demonstrate that full flexibility in both the backbone phi/psi and side chain chi1 angles are virtually restored. The efficacy of TAMD in enhancing conformational sampling is then further examined by folding simulations of small peptides and refinement experiments of protein NMR structures. The results show that an increase of several fold in conformational sampling efficiency can be reliably achieved. The current study also reveals some complicated intrinsic properties of internal coordinate dynamics, beyond energy conservation, that can limit the maximum size of the integration time step and thus the achievable gain in sampling efficiency.     

Variation in protein C(alpha)-related one-bond J couplings

Four types of polypeptide (1)J(C alpha X) couplings are examined, involving the main-chain carbon C(alpha) and either of four possible substituents. A total 3105 values of (1)J(C alpha H alpha), (1)J(C alpha C beta), (1)J(C alpha C'), and (1)J(C alpha N') were collected from six proteins, averaging 143.4 +/- 3.3, 34.9 +/- 2.5, 52.6 +/- 0.9, and 10.7 +/- 1.2 Hz, respectively. Analysis of variances (ANOVA) reveals a variety of factors impacting on (1)J and ranks their relative statistical significance and importance to biomolecular NMR structure refinement. Accordingly, the spread in the (1)J values is attributed, in equal proportions, to amino-acid specific substituent patterns and to polypeptide-chain geometry, specifically torsions phi, psi, and chi(1) circumjacent to C(alpha). The (1)J coupling constants correlate with protein secondary structure. For alpha-helical phi, psi combinations, (1)J(C alpha H alpha) is elevated by more than one standard deviation (147.8 Hz), while both (1)J(C alpha N') and (1)J(C alpha C beta) fall short of their grand means (9.5 and 33.7 Hz). Rare positive phi torsion angles in proteins exhibit concomitant small (1)J(C alpha H alpha) and (1)J(C alpha N') (138.4 and 9.6 Hz) and large (1)J(C alpha C beta) (39.9 Hz) values. The (1)J(C alpha N') coupling varies monotonously over the phi torsion range typical of beta-sheet secondary structure and is largest (13.3 Hz) for phi around -160 degrees. All four coupling types depend on psi and thus help determine a torsion that is notoriously difficult to assess by traditional approaches using (3)J. Influences on (1)J stemming from protein secondary structure and other factors, such as amino-acid composition, are largely independent.     

Ramachandran-type plots for glycosidic linkages: Examples from molecular dynamic simulations using the Glycam06 force field

The goals of this article are to (1) provide further validation of the Glycam06 force field, specifically for its use in implicit solvent molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, and (2) to present the extension of G.N. Ramachandran's idea of plotting amino acid phi and psi angles to the glycosidic phi, psi, and omega angles formed between carbohydrates. As in traditional Ramachandran plots, these carbohydrate Ramachandran-type (carb-Rama) plots reveal the coupling between the glycosidic angles by displaying the allowed and disallowed conformational space. Considering two-bond glycosidic linkages, there are 18 possible conformational regions that can be defined by (alpha, phi, psi) and (beta, phi, psi), whereas for three-bond linkages, there are 54 possible regions that can be defined by (alpha, phi, psi, omega) and (beta, phi, psi, omega). Illustrating these ideas are molecular dynamic simulations on an implicitly hydrated oligosaccharide (700 ns) and its eight constituent disaccharides (50 ns/disaccharide). For each linkage, we compare and contrast the oligosaccharide and respective disaccharide carb-Rama plots, validate the simulations and the Glycam06 force field through comparison to experimental data, and discuss the general trends observed in the plots.     

Conformational analysis of a tetrasaccharide based on NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations

The conformational preference of the human milk oligosaccharide lacto-N-neotetraose, beta-d-Galp-(1 --> 4)-beta-d-GlcpNAc-(1 --> 3)-beta-d-Galp-(1 --> 4)-d-Glcp, has been analyzed using (1)H,(1)H T-ROESY and (1)H,(13)C trans-glycosidic J coupling experiments in isotropic solution and (1)H,(13)C residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) obtained in lyotropic liquid crystalline media. Molecular dynamics simulations of the tetrasaccharide with explicit water as the solvent revealed that two conformational states are significantly populated at the psi glycosidic torsion angle, defined by C(anomeric)-O-C-H, of the (1 --> 3)-linkage. Calculation of order parameters, related to the molecular shape, were based on the inertia tensor and fitting of experimental RDCs to different conformational states showed that psi(+) > 0 degrees is the major and psi(-) < 0 degrees is the minor conformation in solution, in complete agreement with a two-state analysis based on the T-ROESY data. Attention was also given to the effect of salt (200 mM NaCl) in the anisotropic medium, which was a ternary mixture of n-octyl-penta(ethylene glycol), n-octanol, and D(2)O.     

Determination of multiple torsion-angle constraints in U-(13)C,(15)N-labeled peptides: 3D (1)H-(15)N-(13)C-(1)H dipolar chemical shift NMR spectroscopy in rotating solids

We demonstrate constraint of peptide backbone and side-chain conformation with 3D (1)H-(15)N-(13)C-(1)H dipolar chemical shift, magic-angle spinning NMR experiments. In these experiments, polarization is transferred from (15)N[i] by ramped SPECIFIC cross polarization to the (13)C(alpha)[i], (13)C(beta)[i], and (13)C(alpha)[i - 1] resonances and evolves coherently under the correlated (1)H-(15)N and (1)H-(13)C dipolar couplings. The resulting set of frequency-labeled (15)N(1)H-(13)C(1)H dipolar spectra depend strongly upon the molecular torsion angles phi[i], chi1[i], and psi[i - 1]. To interpret the data with high precision, we considered the effects of weakly coupled protons and differential relaxation of proton coherences via an average Liouvillian theory formalism for multispin clusters and employed average Hamiltonian theory to describe the transfer of (15)N polarization to three coupled (13)C spins ((13)C(alpha)[i], (13)C(beta)[i], and (13)C(alpha)[i - 1]). Degeneracies in the conformational solution space were minimized by combining data from multiple (15)N(1)H-(13)C(1)H line shapes and analogous data from other 3D (1)H-(13)C(alpha)-(13)C(beta)-(1)H (chi1), (15)N-(13)C(alpha)-(13)C'-(15)N (psi), and (1)H-(15)N[i]-(15)N[i + 1]-(1)H (phi, psi) experiments. The method is demonstrated here with studies of the uniformly (13)C,(15)N-labeled solid tripeptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe-OH, where the combined data constrains a total of eight torsion angles (three phi, three chi1, and two psi): phi(Met) = -146 degrees, psi(Met) = 159 degrees, chi1(Met) = -85 degrees, phi(Leu) = -90 degrees, psi(Leu) = -40 degrees, chi1(Leu) = -59 degrees, phi(Phe) = -166 degrees, and chi1(Phe) = 56 degrees. The high sensitivity and dynamic range of the 3D experiments and the data analysis methods provided here will permit immediate application to larger peptides and proteins when sufficient resolution is available in the (15)N-(13)C chemical shift correlation spectra.     

Conformational preference and cis-trans isomerization of 4(R)-substituted proline residues

We report here the conformational preference and prolyl cis-trans isomerization of 4(R)-substituted proline dipeptides, N-acetyl-N'-methylamides of 4(R)-hydroxy-L-proline and 4(R)-fluoro-L-proline (Ac-Hyp-NHMe and Ac-Flp-NHMe, respectively), studied at the HF/6-31+G(d), B3LYP/6-31+G(d), and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels of theory. The 4(R)-substitution by electron-withdrawing groups did not result in significant changes in backbone torsion angles as well as endocyclic torsion angles of the prolyl ring. However, the small changes in backbone torsion angles phi and psi and the decrease of bond lengths r(Cbeta-Cgamma) or r(Cgamma-Cdelta) appear to induce the increase of the relative stability of the trans up-puckered conformation and to alter the relative stabilities of transition states for prolyl cis-trans isomerization. Solvation free energies of local minima and transition states in chloroform and water were calculated using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model at the HF/6-31+G(d) level of theory. The population of trans up-puckered conformations increases in the order Ac-Pro-NHMe < Ac-Hyp-NHMe < Ac-Flp-NHMe in chloroform and water. The increase in population for trans up-puckered conformations in solution is attributed to the increase in population for the polyproline-II-like conformations with up puckering. The barriers DeltaGct++ to prolyl cis-to-trans isomerization for Ac-Hyp-NHMe and Ac-Flp-NHMe increase as the solvent polarity increases, as seen for Ac-Pro-NHMe. In particular, it was identified that the cis-trans isomerization proceeds through the clockwise rotation about the prolyl peptide bond for Ac-Hyp-NHMe and Ac-Flp-NHMe in chloroform and water, as seen for Ac-Pro-NHMe.     

Chi(1) rotamer populations and angles of mobile surface side chains are accurately predicted by a torsion angle database potential of mean force

The equilibrium angles and distributions of chi(1) rotamers for mobile surface side chains of the small, 63-residue, B1 domain of protein L have been calculated from the static crystal structure by rigid body/torsion angle simulated annealing using a torsion angle database potential of mean force and compared to those deduced by Monte Carlo analysis of side chain residual dipolar couplings measured in solution. Good agreement between theory and experiment is observed, indicating that for side chains undergoing rotamer averaging that is fast on the chemical shift time scale, the equilibrium angles and distribution of chi(1) rotamers are largely determined by the backbone phi/psi torsion angles.     

Backbone conformational constraints in a microcrystalline U-15N-labeled protein by 3D dipolar-shift solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Structural studies of uniformly labeled proteins by magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy have rapidly matured in recent years. Site-specific chemical shifts of several proteins have been assigned and structures determined from 2D or 3D data sets containing internuclear distance information. Here we demonstrate the application of a complementary technique for constraining protein backbone geometry using a site-resolved 3D dipolar-shift pulse sequence. The dipolar line shapes report on the relative orientations of 1H-15N[i] to 1H-15N[i+1] dipole vectors, constraining the torsion angles phi[i] and psi[i]. In addition, from the same 3D data set, several 1H-15N[i] to1H-15N[i+2] line shapes are extracted to constrain the torsion angles phi[i], psi[i], phi[i+1], and psi[i+1]. We report results for the majority of sites in the 56-residue beta1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1), using 3D experiments at 600 MHz 1H frequency. Excellent agreement between the SSNMR results and a new 1.14 A crystal structure illustrate the general potential of this technique for high-resolution structural refinement of solid proteins.     

Structure determination of a peptide model of the repeated helical domain in Samia cynthia ricini silk fibroin before spinning by a combination of advanced solid-state NMR methods

Fibrous proteins unlike globular proteins, contain repetitive amino acid sequences, giving rise to very regular secondary protein structures. Silk fibroin from a wild silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini, consists of about 100 repeats of alternating polyalanine (poly-Ala) regions of 12-13 residues in length and Gly-rich regions. In this paper, the precise structure of the model peptide, GGAGGGYGGDGG(A)(12)GGAGDGYGAG, which is a typical repeated sequence of the silk fibroin, was determined using a combination of three kinds of solid-state NMR studies; a quantitative use of (13)C CP/MAS NMR chemical shift with conformation-dependent (13)C chemical shift contour plots, 2D spin diffusion (13)C solid-state NMR under off magic angle spinning and rotational echo double resonance. The structure of the model peptide corresponding to the silk fibroin structure before spinning was determined. The torsion angles of the central Ala residue, Ala(19), in the poly-Ala region were determined to be (phi, psi) = (-59 degrees, -48 degrees ) which are values typically associated with alpha-helical structures. However, the torsion angles of the Gly(25) residue adjacent to the C-terminal side of the poly-Ala chain were determined to be (phi, psi) = (-66 degrees, -22 degrees ) and those of Gly(12) and Ala(13) residues at the N-terminal of the poly-Ala chain to be (phi, psi) = (-70 degrees, -30 degrees ). In addition, REDOR experiments indicate that the torsion angles of the two C-terminal Ala residues, Ala(23) and Ala(24), are (phi, psi) = (-66 degrees, -22 degrees ) and those of N-terminal two Ala residues, Ala(13) and Ala(14) are (phi, psi) = (-70 degrees, -30 degrees ). Thus, the local structure of N-terminal and C-terminal residues, and also the neighboring residues of alpha-helical poly-Ala chain in the model peptide is a more strongly wound structure than found in typical alpha-helix structures.     

Hamiltonian and distance replica exchange method studies of Met-enkephalin

The conformational states of the zwitterionic form of the pentapeptide Met-enkephalin were explored with the use of explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD). The N and C termini are ionized, as appropriate to polar solvent conditions, and consequently, there is a competition between open forms driven by polar solvation of the ammonium and carboxylate groups and closed forms driven by their salt-bridge formation. Normal MD started from an open state does not sample closed conformations. Sampling was enhanced with a distance replica exchange method (DREM) and with a Hamiltonian replica exchange method (HREM). The potential of mean force (PMF) along an end-to-end distance reaction coordinate was obtained with the DREM. The PMF shows a stable salt-bridge state and the presence of a large region of open states, as hypothesized for conformationally promiscuous small opiate peptides. The HREM systems differ by scaling the peptide-peptide and peptide-solvent electrostatic and Lennard-Jones potentials, with the goal of improving the sampling efficiency with a limited number of systems. A small number of systems were found to be sufficient to sample closed and open states. A principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the HREM-generated fluctuations are dominated by the first two principal modes. The first corresponds to the end-to-end reaction coordinate found in the DREM, and the first mode PMF is similar to the DREM PMF. The second mode describes the presence of two conformations, both of which correspond to the salt-bridge state distance. The conformers differ in the values of neighboring psi and phi dihedral angles, since such psi/phi compensation can still produce the same end-to-end distance. The two-dimensional PMF constructed from the first two PCA modes captures most of the significant backbone conformational space of Met-enkephalin.     

Toward direct determination of conformations of protein building units from multidimensional NMR experiments part II: a theoretical case study of formyl-L-valine amide

Chemical shielding anisotropy tensors have been determined for all twenty-seven characteristic conformers of For-L-Val-NH2 using the GIAO-RHF formalism with the 6-31 + G* and TZ2P basis sets. The individual chemical shifts and their conformational averages have been compared to their experimental counterparts taken from the BioMagnetic Resonance Bank (BMRB). At the highest level of theory applied, for all nuclei but the amide proton, deviations between statistically averaged theoretical and experimental chemical shifts are as low as 1-3%. Correlated chemical shift plots of selected nuclei, as function of the respective phi, psi, chi1, and chi2 torsional angles, have been generated. On two-dimensional chemical shift-chemical shift plots, for example, 1H(NH)-15N(NH) and 15N(NH)-13Calpha, regions corresponding to major conformational clusters have been identified, providing a basis for the quantitative identification of conformers from NMR shift data. Experimental NMR resonances of nuclei of valine residues have been deduced from 18 selected proteins, resulting in 93 1Halpha-13Calpha chemical shift pairs. These experimental results have been compared to relevant ab initio values revealing remarkable correlation between the two sets of data. Correlations of 1Halpha and 13Calpha values with backbone conformational parameters (phi and psi) have also been found for all pairs (e.g. 1Halpha/phi and 13Calpha/phi) but 1Halpha/psi. Overall, the appealing idea of establishing backbone folding of proteins by employing chemical shift information alone, obtained from selected multiple-pulse NMR experiments (e.g. 2D-HSQC, 2D-HMQC, and 3D-HNCA), has received further support.     

Steric trigger as a mechanism for CB1 cannabinoid receptor activation

To determine the moiety that behaves as the steric trigger to activate the CB(1) cannabinoid receptor, conformational properties of the nonclassical cannabinoid CP55244, one of the most potent CB(1) receptor agonists, were characterized by conformational analysis, rotational barrier calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It was shown from the present MD simulations that the torsion angles phi1 and phi4 of the C3 side chain showed the most dramatic change when compared with the ground-state receptor-bound conformation, indicating that rotation around these torsion angles is responsible for releasing the ligand strain energy. Multiple stages would be involved in the ligand conformational change. As a molecular mechanism for the ligand-induced CB(1) receptor conformational change, we propose that the C3 side chain serves as the steric trigger, while the ACD-ring moiety of CP55244 serves as the plug. Steric clash with helices within the binding pocket would induce microconformational adaptation within the protein. This mechanism would suggest that rotational flexibility in a ligand may be as important a determinant of agonist activity as the pharmacophoric elements that can be identified.