Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Biophysical Characterization Of A Beta-Peptide Bundle: Comparison To Natural Proteins, E. James Petersson, Cody J. Craig, Douglas S. Daniels, Jade X. Qiu, Alanna S. Schepartz Apr 2007

Biophysical Characterization Of A Beta-Peptide Bundle: Comparison To Natural Proteins, E. James Petersson, Cody J. Craig, Douglas S. Daniels, Jade X. Qiu, Alanna S. Schepartz

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We recently described the high-resolution X-ray structure of a helical bundle composed of eight copies of the β-peptide Zwit-1F. Like many proteins in Nature, the Zwit-1F octamer contains parallel and antiparallel helices, extensive inter-helical electrostatic interactions, and a solvent-excluded hydrophobic core. Here we explore the stability of the Zwit-1F octamer using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation (AU), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and NMR. These studies demonstrate that the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of Zwit-1F closely resemble those of α-helical bundle proteins. Together these studies should provide a model for the design of β-peptide proteins with biological functions.


High-Resolution Structure Of A Beta-Peptide Bundle, Douglas S. Daniels, E. James Petersson, Jade X. Qiu, Alanna S. Schepartz Jan 2007

High-Resolution Structure Of A Beta-Peptide Bundle, Douglas S. Daniels, E. James Petersson, Jade X. Qiu, Alanna S. Schepartz

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We recently reported that β-peptides can form discrete hetero-oligomers in aqueous solution. Here we describe the structure of such an oligomer as determined by X-ray crystallography. The structure of Zwit-1F reveals a homo-octamer of two cupped “hands” composed of both parallel and antiparallel 314-helices. The core of the assembly is composed entirely of solvent-excluded β3-homoleucine residues. The Zwit-1F assembly shares many of the physical characteristics of natural proteins.