title: Conformation of thymosin beta 4 in water determined by NMR spectroscopy.
abstract: The conformational preferences of a 43-amino-acid G-actin-binding peptide, thymosin beta 4, in water at 1, 4 and 14 degrees C, and at pH 3.0 and 6.5 were studied by NMR. NMR showed that thymosin beta 4 lacks a uniquely folded conformation in water. However, some preferential alpha-helical conformations of thymosin beta 4 can be observed in aqueous solutions. The segment at residues 5-16 showed characteristic interactions for conformations in both the beta-strand and alpha-helical regions of the phi-psi space, based on strong C alpha H(i)-NH(i+1) interactions and NH-NH, C alpha H(i)-NH(i+3), and C alpha H(i)-C beta H(i+3) interactions, respectively. At 1-4 degrees C, another segment at residues 31-37 also shows both beta and alpha conformations, forming however a less well-defined helix than the segment at residues 5-16. At 14 degrees C, the conformational population of the helix at positions 5-16 is shifted more towards the random and turn-like structures, whereas the segment at positions 31-37 becomes exclusively a random coil.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czisch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schleicher
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hörger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voelter
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Holak
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D013696:Temperature; D013947:Thymosin / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)
chemical_list: D013947:Thymosin; D014867:Water; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)