The geometry and efficacy of cation-pi interactions in a diagonal position of a designed beta-hairpin.
Cation-pi interactions are common in proteins, but their contribution to the stability and specificity of protein structure has not been well established. In this study, we examined the impact of cation-pi interactions in a diagonal position of a beta-hairpin peptide through comparison of the interaction of Phe or Trp with Lys or Arg. The diagonal interactions ranged from -0.20 to -0.48 kcal/mole. Our experimental values for the diagonal cation-pi interactions are similar to those found in alpha-helical studies. Upfield shifting of the Lys and Arg side chains indicates that the geometries of cation-pi interactions adopted in the 12-residue beta-hairpin are comparable to those found in protein structures. The Lys was found to interact through the polarized Cepsilon, and the Arg is stacked against the aromatic ring of Phe or Trp. Folding of these peptides was found to be enthalpically favorable (DeltaH degrees equals approximately -3 kcal/mole) and entropically unfavorable (DeltaS degrees equals approximately -8 cal mole(-1) K(-1)).
Department of Chemistry, Kenan and Venable Laboratories, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Chad D
CD
Tatko
Marcey L
ML
Waters
D001120:Arginine / Q000737:chemistry; D002412:Cations / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008239:Lysine / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000737:chemistry; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000737:chemistry
D002412:Cations; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010649:Phenylalanine; D014364:Tryptophan; D001120:Arginine; D008239:Lysine