title: Nature versus design: the conformational propensities of D-amino acids and the importance of side chain chirality.
abstract: D-amino acids are useful building blocks for de novo peptide design and they play a role in aging-related diseases associated with gradual protein racemization. For amino acids with achiral side chains, one should be able to presume that the conformational propensities of L- and D-amino acids are a reflection of one another due to the straightforward geometric inversion at the Cα atom. However, this presumption does not account for the directionality of the backbone dipole and the inverted propensities have never been definitively confirmed in this context. Furthermore, there is little known of how alternative side chain chirality affects the backbone conformations of isoleucine and threonine. Using a GGXGG host-guest pentapeptide system, we have completed exhaustive sampling of the conformational propensities of the D-amino acids, including D-allo-isoleucine and D-allo-threonine, using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Comparison of these simulations with the same systems hosting the cognate L-amino acids verifies that the intrinsic backbone conformational propensities of the D-amino acids are the inverse of their cognate L-enantiomers. Where amino acids have a chiral center in their side chain (Thr, Ile) the β-configuration affects the backbone sampling, which in turn can confer different biological properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5013, USA.
authors.forename: Clare-Louise
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Towse
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5013, USA.
authors.forename: Gene
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hopping
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5013, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vulovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5013, USA daggett@u.washington.edu.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daggett
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011506:Proteins
keywords: MD simulation; conformational sampling; d-amino acids; epimerization; racemization