Biochemistry Commons^™

Influence Of Ph And Acidic Side Chain Charges On The Behavior Of Designed Model Peptides In Lipid Bilayer Membranes, Venkatesan Rajagopalan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The molecular properties of transmembrane proteins and their interactions with lipids regulate biological function. Of particular interest are interfacial aromatic residues and charged residues in the core helix whose functions range from stabilizing the native structure to regulating ion channels. This dissertation addresses the pH dependence and influence of potentially negatively charged tyrosine, glutamic acid or aspartic acid side chains. We have employed GWALP23 (acetyl-GGALW5LALALALALALALW19LAGA-amide) as favorable host peptide framework. We have substituted W5 with Tyr (Y5GWALP23) and Leu residues with Glu (L12E, L14E or L16E) or Asp (L14D or L16D), and have incorporated specific 2H-labeled alanine residues within the …