title: Synthesis and conformational studies of peptides encompassing the carboxy-terminal helix of thermolysin.
abstract: The 21-residue fragment Tyr-Gly-Ser-Thr-Ser-Gln-Glu-Val-Ala-Ser-Val-Lys-Gln-Ala-Phe-Asp-Ala-Val- Gly-Val-Lys, corresponding to sequence 296-316 of thermolysin and thus encompassing the COOH-terminal helical segment 301-312 of the native protein, was synthesized by solid-phase methods and purified to homogeneity by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The peptide 296-316 was then cleaved with trypsin at Lys307 and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease at Glu302, producing the additional fragments 296-307, 308-316, 296-302, and 303-316. All these peptides, when dissolved in aqueous solution at neutral pH, are essentially structureless, as determined by circular dichroism (CD) measurements in the far-ultraviolet region. On the other hand, fragment 296-316, as well as some of its proteolytic fragments, acquires significant helical conformation when dissolved in aqueous trifluoroethanol or ethanol. In general, the peptides mostly encompassing the helical segment 301-312 in the native thermolysin show helical conformation in aqueous alcohol. In particular, quantitative analysis of CD data indicated that fragment 296-316 attains in 90% aqueous trifluoroethanol the same percentage (approximately 58%) of helical secondary structure of the corresponding chain segment in native thermolysin. These results indicate that peptide 296-316 and its subfragments are unable to fold into a stable native-like structure in aqueous solution, in agreement with predicted location and stabilities of isolated subdomains of the COOH-terminal domain of thermolysin based on buried surface area calculations of the molecule.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Biopolymer Research Centre of CNR, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vita
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dalzoppo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Filippis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manera
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fontana
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013820:Thermolysin; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014867:Water; D013820:Thermolysin