In the present study, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were used as a tool to grasp a targeted α-helix or β-sheet of protein. During the fabrication of the hinge-mediated MIPs, elegant cavities took shape in a special solvent on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) chips. The cavities, which were complementary to the protein secondary structure, acted as a peptide conformational imprint (PCI) for adenylate kinase 1 (AK1). We established a promising strategy to examine the binding affinities of human AK1 in conformational dynamics using the peptide-imprinting method. Moreover, when bound to AK1, PCIs are able to gain stability and tend to maintain higher catalytic activities than free AK1. Such designed fixations not only act on hinges as accelerators; some are also inhibitors. One example of PCI inhibition of AK1 catalytic activity takes place when PCI integrates with an AK19-23 β-sheet. In addition, conformation ties, a general MIP method derived from random-coil AK1133-144 in buffer/acetonitrile, are also inhibitors. The inhibition may be due to the need for this peptide to execute conformational transition during catalysis.
Keywords: adenylate kinase 1; conformation; inhibition; molecularly imprinted polymers; secondary structure.