Secondary structure of peptides. 4:13C-Nmr CP/MAS investigation of solid oligo- and poly(L-alanines)

Primary and tertiary amine-initiated polymerizations of L-alanine-N-carboxyanhydride (L-Ala-NCA) were conducted at 20 or 100°C in a variety of solvents. The 75.5-MHz 13C-nmr CP/MAS spectra of the resulting poly(L-alanines) revealed that all samples contain both α-helix and pleated-sheet structures. Depending on the reaction conditions the α-helix content varied between ca. 1 and 99%. Reprecipitation from aprotic nonsolvents does not change the α-helix/β-sheet ratio, indicating that this ratio is thermodynamically controlled. Since relatively large amounts of oligopeptides of degree of polymerization (DP) 4–6 can be extracted by means of acetic acid, it is concluded that (a) most poly(L-alan…

1H-nmr studies of polyoxyethylene-bound homo-oligo-L-methionines

The use of 1H-nmr spectroscopy is demonstrated to be a useful analytical method to characterize the structure of synthetic peptides attached to soluble, macromolecular polyoxyethylene (POE) supports in the liquid-phase method (LPM) of peptide synthesis. We report an extensive 360-MHz 1H-nmr study of POE-bound homo-oligo-L-methionine peptides. A combination of high field and selective saturation or Redfield pulse methods allows resolution of individual backbone NH and α-CH resonances of dilute peptides in the presence of strong resonances from macromolecular POE and/or protonated solvents. The nmr spectra for the POE-bound peptides in CDCl3 are qualitatively similar to those of the low-molec…

Applications of soluble polymeric supports

Conformational preferences of side-chain protected amino acid residues and their impact in peptide synthesis

Using the host-guest technique, tentative scales for the helix-inducing power and the β-structure-forming potential of various side-chain protected amino acid residues in trifluoro-ethanol are established mainly by CD measurements. The generally lower tendency for β-structure formation of the host–guest peptides compared to that of the host peptide is discussed. The influence of these conformational features on the solubility of the peptides is also pointed out.

Relationship between conformation and physicochemical properties of polypeptides. I. Synthesis of homo- and co-oligopeptides by the liquid-phase method

The synthesis of the following oligo- and co-oligopeptides by the liquid-phase method is described: (L-Met)15 (I), [L-Glu(OBzl)]20 (II), (L-Val)8-Gly (IV), (L-Ile)8-Gly (V), (L-Ile)4-Gly-(L-Ile)4 (VI), (L-Ile)4-Pro-(L-Ile)4 (VII), (L-Met)5-L-Pro-(L-Met)5 (VIII), [L-Glu(OBzl)]7-L-Pro-[L-Glu(OBzl)]7 (IX). The oligomers are covalently bound to bifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) and monofunctional PEG-M of Mr 5 × 103−2 × 104. Analytical controls were carried out after each step of synthesis in order to ensure quantitative coupling yields. All products could be obtained in high purity as indicated by amino acid analysis, thin-layer chromatography and chiroptical methods. The solubility of th…

Relationship between conformation and physicochemical properties of polypeptides. II. GPC as a tool for the detection of conformational transitions of PEG-bound peptides

Poly(ethylene glycol)s grated onto suitably functionalized, crosslinked polystyrenes were introduced as a new class of multidetachably immobilized hydrophilic macromolecular supports for the synthesis of peptides. This new polymeric carrier system facilitates both the homogeneous solvation of the reaction site and the insolubilization of the substrate, which are prerequisites for an efficient multistep synthesis using polymeric supports. In these support systems, a strongly solvated hydrophilic linear chain molecule, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)1 , is attached to an insoluble, crosslinked polystyrene through suitable anchoring linkages. At the free chain end of this supported PEG, amino acid…

New Perspectives in Polymer-Supported Peptide Synthesis

1H-NMR studies on poly(oxyethylene)-bound oligopeptides

Conformational studies on poly(oxyethylene)-bound homo-, oligo-, guest-host, and sequential peptides synthesized according to the liquid-phase method were carried out by means of 1H-nmr spectroscopy. The solubilizing effect of the C-terminal polymeric support allowed a thorough investigation of the secondary structure in solution.