Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy of a β‐sheet peptide: a model for membrane protein folding

The partitioning of a hydrophobic hexapeptide, N‐acetyl‐tryptophan‐pentaleucine (AcWL5), into self‐associated β‐sheets within a vesicle membrane was studied as a model for integral membrane protein folding and insertion via vibrational and electronic spectroscopy. Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy allows selective examination of the structures of amino acid side chains and the peptide backbone and provides information about local environment and molecular conformation. The secondary structure of AcWL5 within a vesicle membrane was investigated using 207.5‐nm excitation and found to consist of β‐sheets, in agreement with previous studies. The β‐sheet peptide shows enhanced Raman scattering cross‐sections for all amide modes as well as extensive hydrogen‐bonding networks. Tryptophan vibrational structure was probed using 230‐nm excitation. Increases in Raman cross‐sections of tryptophan modes W1, W3, W7, W10, W16, W17, and W18 of membrane‐incorporated AcWL5 are primarily attributed to greater resonance enhancement with the B_b electronic transition. The W17 mode, however, undergoes a much greater enhancement than is expected for a simple resonance effect, and this observation is discussed in terms of hydrogen bonding of the indole ring in a hydrophobic environment. The observed tryptophan mode frequencies and intensities overall support a hydrophobic environment for the indole ring within a vesicle, and these results have implications for the location of tryptophan in membrane protein systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibronic coupling and excited‐state reaction dynamics of pyrazine in 1 1B2u (1ππ*) state by resonance Raman spectroscopy and CASSCF calculation

The photophysics and photochemistry of pyrazine (C₄H₄N₂, D_2h) after excitation to the S₂ (1 ¹B_2u, ¹ππ*) electronic state were studied by using the resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete active space self‐consistent field method calculations. The B‐band resonance Raman spectra in cyclohexane solvent were obtained at 266.0, 252.7, and 245.9 nm excitation wavelengths to probe the structural dynamics of pyrazine in the S₂ (1 ¹B_2u, ¹ππ*) state. Three electronic states 1 ¹B_3u, 1 ¹B_1g, and 1 ¹B_2g were found to couple with the S₂ (1 ¹B_2u, ¹ππ*) state. Two conical intersection (CI) points CI[S₂(B_2u)/S₁(B_3u)] and CI[S₁/S₀] and one transition state of the isomerization between pyrazine and pyrimidine were predicted to play important roles in the photochemistry of pyrazine. On the basis of the calculations, the mechanism of the photoisomerization reaction between pyrazine and pyrimidine has been proposed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.