Volume 43, Issue 46 pp. 6312-6316
Communication

Are NMR-Derived Model Structures for β-Peptides Representative for the Ensemble of Structures Adopted in Solution?

Alice Glättli

Alice Glättli

Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie, ETH, ETH Hönggerberg, HCI, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland, Fax: (+41) 1-632-1039

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Wilfred F. van Gunsteren Prof.

Wilfred F. van Gunsteren Prof.

Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie, ETH, ETH Hönggerberg, HCI, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland, Fax: (+41) 1-632-1039

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First published: 23 November 2004
Citations: 37

We thank Prof. D. Seebach for challenging us to simulate the behavior of the peptide and Dr. K. Gademann for providing us with the 20 NMR model structures. Financial support from the Schweizer Nationalfonds (project number 2000-063590.00) and from the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Structural Biology of the Swiss National Science Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.

Graphical Abstract

The data fit, but the structures are different. Two methods for the interpretation of NMR data of a β-hexapeptide are compared. While the simulated annealing procedure suggests the formation of a (P)-28-helix, unrestrained molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the NMR data can also be described by a much broader ensemble of conformations, in which (P)-2.512-helical structures are prominent (see diagram).

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