A helical arrangement of beta-substituents of dehydropeptides: synthesis and conformational study of sequential nona- and dodecapeptides possessing (Z)-beta-(1-naphthyl)dehydroalanine residues

Impact of Dehydroamino Acids on the Structure and Stability of Incipient 310-Helical Peptides

A comparative study of the impact of small, medium-sized, and bulky α,β-dehydroamino acids (ΔAAs) on the structure and stability of Balaram's incipient 3₁₀-helical peptide (1) is reported. Replacement of the N-terminal Aib residue of 1 with a ΔAA afforded peptides 2a-c that maintained the 3₁₀-helical shape of 1. In contrast, installation of a ΔAA in place of Aib-3 yielded peptides 3a-c that preferred a β-sheet-like conformation. The impact of the ΔAA on peptide structure was independent of size, with small (ΔAla), medium-sized (Z-ΔAbu), and bulky (ΔVal) ΔAAs exerting similar effects. The proteolytic stabilities of 1 and its analogs were determined by incubation with Pronase. Z-ΔAbu and ΔVal increased the resistance of peptides to proteolysis when incorporated at the 3-position and had negligible impact on stability when placed at the 1-position, whereas ΔAla-containing peptides degraded rapidly regardless of position. Exposure of peptides 2a-c and 3a-c to the reactive thiol cysteamine revealed that ΔAla-containing peptides underwent conjugate addition at room temperature, while Z-ΔAbu- and ΔVal-containing peptides were inert even at elevated temperatures. These results suggest that both bulky and more accessible medium-sized ΔAAs should be valuable tools for bestowing rigidity and proteolytic stability on bioactive peptides.

Conformation of dehydropentapeptides containing four achiral amino acid residues - controlling the role of L-valine

Structural studies of pentapeptides containing an achiral block, built from two dehydroamino acid residues (Δ^ZPhe and ΔAla) and two glycines, as well as one chiral L-Val residue were performed using NMR spectroscopy. The key role of the L-Val residue in the generation of the secondary structure of peptides is discussed. The obtained results suggest that the strongest influence on the conformation of peptides arises from a valine residue inserted at the C-terminal position. The most ordered conformation was found for peptide Boc-Gly-ΔAla-Gly-Δ^ZPhe-Val-OMe (3), which adopts a right-handed helical conformation.

Electron transfer through a self-assembled monolayer of a double-helix peptide with linking the terminals by ferrocene

A unique molecular structure, a double-helix peptide, was self-assembled on gold, and the electron transfer through the monolayer was studied. The double-helix peptide consists of two 9mer 3(10)-helical peptide chains having a disulfide group at each N terminal and being linked by a ferrocene dicarboxylic acid between the C terminals. Each helical peptide chain has three naphthyl groups in a linear arrangement along the helix. The monolayer properties and the electron transfer from the ferrocene unit to gold were studied with reference peptides with a similar double helix but without naphthyl groups, a single helix with a dicarboxylic ferrocene unit, and a single helix with a monocarboxylic ferrocene unit. It was demonstrated that the naphthyl groups on the side chains had no effect on electron transfer, and the electron-transfer rate in the double-helix monolayer was not promoted, despite the two electron pathways in the molecule. We propose that in the double-helix monolayer, molecular motions are suppressed, possibly by its rigid structure tethered by the two linkers on gold to cancel out acceleration effects of the 2-fold electron pathways and the ferrocene substitution number. The factors that affect the electron-transfer reaction across the helical peptide SAMs are discussed in depth.

Synthesis, crystal structure and molecular conformation of Nα-Boc-l-leucyl-(Z)-β-(3-pyridyl)-α,β- dehydroalanyl-l-leucine methyl ester*

A protected tridehydropeptide containing (Z)-beta-(3-pyridyl)-alpha,beta-dehydroalanine (Delta(Z)3Pal) residue, Boc-Leu-Delta(Z)3Pal-Leu-OMe (1), was synthesized via Erlenmeyer azlactone method. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that the peptide 1 adopts an extended conformation, which is similar to that of a Delta(Z)Phe analog, Boc-Leu-Delta(Z)Phe-Leu-OMe (2).

Crystal structure of achiral nonapeptide Boc-(Aib-?zPhe)4-Aib-OMe at atomic resolution: Evidence for a 310-helix

An x-ray crystallographic analysis was carried out for Boc-(Aib-DeltaZPhe)4-Aib-OMe (1: Boc = t-butoxycarbonyl; Aib = alpha-aminoisobutyric acid; DeltaZPhe = Z-alpha,beta-didehydrophenylalanine) to provide the precise conformational parameters of the octapeptide segment -(Aib-DeltaZPhe)4-. Peptide 1 adopted a typical 3(10)-helical conformation characterized by <phi> = +/-55.8 degrees (50 degrees -65 degrees), <psi> = +/-26.7 degrees (15 degrees -45 degrees), and <omega> = +/-179.5 degrees (168 degrees -188 degrees) for the average values of the -(Aib-DeltaZPhe)4- segment (the range of the eight values). The 3(10)-helix contains 3.1 residues per turn, being close to the "perfect 3(10)-helix" characterized by 3.0 residues per turn. NMR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that the 3(10)-helical conformation at the atomic resolution is essentially maintained in solution. Energy minimization of peptide 1 by semiempirical molecular orbital calculation converged to a 3(10)-helical conformation similar to the x-ray crystallographic 3(10)-helix. The preference for a 3(10)-helix in the -(Aib-DeltaZPhe)4- segment is ascribed to strong inducers of the 3(10)-helix inherent in Aib and DeltaZPhe residues-in particular, the Aib residues tend to stabilize a 3(10)-helix more effectively. Therefore, the -(Aib-DeltaZPhe)4- segment is useful to rationally design an optically inactive 3(10)-helical backbone, which will be of great importance to provide novel insights into noncovalent and covalent chiral interactions of a helical peptide with a chiral molecule.