title: Sweet and bitter taste: structure and conformations of two aspartame dipeptide analogues.
abstract: The synthesis and X-ray diffraction analysis of two dipeptide taste ligands have been carried out as part of our study of the molecular basis of taste. The compounds L-aspartyl-D-alpha-methylphenylalanine methyl ester [L-Asp-D-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe] and L-aspartyl-D-alanyl-2,2,5, 5-tetramethylcyclopentanyl ester [L-Asp-D-Ala-OTMCP] elicit bitter and sweet taste, respectively. The C-terminal residues of the two analogues adopt distinctly different conformations in the solid state. The aspartyl moiety assumes the same conformation found in other dipeptide taste ligands with the side-chain carboxylate and the amino groups forming a zwitterionic ring with a conformation defined by psi, chi 1 = 157.7 degrees, -61.5 degrees for L-Asp-D-Ala-OTMCP and 151.0 degrees, -68.8 degrees for L-Asp-D-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe. In the second residue, a left-handed helical conformation is observed for the (alpha Me)Phe residue of L-Asp-D-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe with phi 2 = 49.0 degrees and psi 2 = 47.9 degrees, while the Ala residue of L-Asp-D-Ala-OTMCP adopts a semi-extended conformation characterized by dihedral angles phi 2 = 62.8 degrees and psi 2 = -139.9 degrees. The solid-state structure of the bitter L-Asp-D-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe is extended: while the crystal structure of the sweet L-Asp-D-OTMCP roughly adopts the typical L-shaped structure shown by other sweeteners. The data of L-Asp-D-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe are compared with those of its diastereoisomer L-Asp-L-(alpha Me)Phe-OMe. Conformational analysis of the two taste ligands in solution by NMR and computer simulations agrees well with our model for sweet and bitter tastes.
authors.affiliation: Biocrystallography Research Center, CNR, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gavuzzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mahr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D001218:Aspartame / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D003198:Computer Simulation; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012996:Solutions; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D012996:Solutions; C107984:aspartyl-alanyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylcyclopentanyl ester; C107983:aspartyl-methylphenylalanine methyl ester; D001218:Aspartame