title: Salt effects on peptide conformers: a dielectric study of tuftsin.
abstract: Four 1-ns molecular dynamics computer simulations of tuftsin, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg, are analyzed: (1) cis tuftsin in water, (2) trans tuftsin in water, (3) cis tuftsin in 1 M NaCl, and (4) trans tuftsin in 1 M NaCl. Independently of the salt concentration, the trans conformer has a higher dielectric constant than the cis conformer because the former exhibits a more widely distributed charge distribution in space. Independently of the peptide conformation, the presence of salt reduces the dielectric constants of both the peptide and the solvating water molecules because ions, on binding, restrict the motion of other atoms. In contrast to the dielectric constants, neither the peptide conformation nor the salt concentration shows a significant influence on the dielectric relaxation time of water molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Texas 77204-5641, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Valdeavella
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Blatt
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Pettitt
mesh_terms: D004563:Electrochemistry; D007536:Isomerism; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D012996:Solutions; D013997:Time Factors; D014405:Tuftsin / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D012996:Solutions; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D014405:Tuftsin