Intermolecular packing and alignment in an ordered beta-hairpin antimicrobial peptide aggregate from 2D solid-state NMR

The aggregation and packing of a membrane-disruptive beta-hairpin antimicrobial peptide, protegrin-1 (PG-1), in the solid state are investigated to understand its oligomerization and hydrogen-bonding propensity. Incubation of PG-1 in phosphate buffer saline produced well-ordered nanometer-scale aggregates, as indicated by 13C and 15N NMR line widths, chemical shifts, and electron microscopy. Two-dimensional 13C and 1H spin diffusion experiments using C-terminus strand and N-terminus strand labeled peptides indicate that the beta-hairpin molecules in these ordered aggregates are oriented parallel to each other with like strands lining the intermolecular interface. In comparison, disordered and lyophilized peptide samples are randomly packed with both parallel and antiparallel alignments. The PG-1 aggregates show significant immobilization of the Phe ring near the beta-turn, further supporting the structural ordering. The intermolecular packing of PG-1 found in the solid state is consistent with its oligomerization in lipid bilayers. This solid-state aggregation approach may be useful for determining the quaternary structure of peptides in general and for gaining insights into the oligomerization of antimicrobial peptides in lipid bilayers in particular.