title: X-ray studies on crystalline complexes involving amino acids and peptides. XXVII. Effect of chirality, specific interactions and characteristic aggregation patterns in the structures of arginine and its complexes with formic acid.
abstract: The crystal structures of DL-arginine dihydrate, DL-arginine formate dihydrate and L-arginine formate have been determined and refined using X-ray crystallographic techniques. The three structures, along with other related ones, demonstrate the conformational variability of arginine. The amino acid molecules aggregate essentially in a similar manner in DL-arginine dihydrate and in the known structure of L-arginine dihydrate; the effects arising out of the reversal of the chirality of half the amino acid molecules are absorbed by small local adjustments. However, such a reversal leads to profound differences in aggregation in DL-arginine and L-arginine formates, in contrast to the situation in the corresponding acetates. Thus the effect of chirality on biomolecular aggregation cannot be easily predicted or even rationalized. Arginine-carboxylate interactions in the complexes primarily involve the guanidyl groups and contain specific interactions. Indeed the primary mode of arginine-carboxylic acid aggregation is substantially invariant in the arginine complexes of succinic, acetic and formic acids.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suresh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vijayan
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D019342:Acetic Acid; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005561:Formates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013386:Succinates / Q000378:metabolism; D019802:Succinic Acid
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D005561:Formates; D013386:Succinates; C030544:formic acid; D001120:Arginine; D019802:Succinic Acid; D019342:Acetic Acid