An unusual interstrand H-bond stabilizes the heteroassembly of helical αβγ-chimeras with natural peptides

ACS Chem Biol. 2014 Mar 21;9(3):613-6. doi: 10.1021/cb4007979. Epub 2014 Jan 10.

Abstract

The substitution of α-amino acids by homologated amino acids has a strong impact on the overall structure and topology of peptides, usually leading to a loss in thermal stability. Here, we report on the identification of an ideal core packing between an α-helical peptide and an αβγ-chimera via phage display. Selected peptides assemble with the chimeric sequence with thermal stabilities that are comparable to that of the parent bundle consisting purely of α-amino acids. With the help of MD simulations and mutational analysis this stability could be explained by the formation of an interhelical H-bond between the selected cysteine and a backbone carbonyl of the β/γ-segment. Gained results can be directly applied in the design of biologically relevant peptides containing β- and γ-amino acids.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acids / chemistry*
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Library
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Peptide Library
  • Peptides