Importance of dipole moments and ambient polarity for the conformation of Xaa-Pro moieties - a combined experimental and theoretical study.

NMR spectroscopic studies with a series of proline derivatives revealed that the polarity of the environment has a significant effect on the  :  isomer ratio of Xaa-Pro bonds. Computational studies showed that this effect is due to differences in the overall dipole moments of and conformers. Comparisons between the conformational properties of amide and ester derivatives revealed an intricate balance between polarity effects and n → π* interactions of adjacent carbonyl groups.

Functionalizable oligoprolines as molecular scaffolds.

Azidoproline (Azp) containing oligoprolines are conformationally well-defined, helical molecular scaffolds that allow for facile functionalization. Within this article we describe the synthesis of Azp-containing oligoprolines and different strategies to introduce functional moieties. In addition, the influence of factors such as substituents at the y-position of proline as well as functional groups at the termini on the conformational stability of the molecular scaffolds are briefly presented.

Characterization and structure of DhpI, a phosphonate O-methyltransferase involved in dehydrophos biosynthesis.

Phosphonate natural products possess a range of biological activities as a consequence of their ability to mimic phosphate esters or tetrahedral intermediates formed in enzymatic reactions involved in carboxyl group metabolism. The dianionic form of these compounds at pH 7 poses a drawback with respect to their ability to mimic carboxylates and tetrahedral intermediates. Microorganisms producing phosphonates have evolved two solutions to overcome this hurdle: biosynthesis of monoanionic phosphinates containing two P-C bonds or esterification of the phosphonate group.

Structure-activity relationships of the phosphonate antibiotic dehydrophos.

Synthetic derivatives of the phosphonate antibiotic dehydrophos were tested for antimicrobial activity. Both the phosphonate monomethyl ester and the vinyl phosphonate moiety proved to be important for bacteriocidal activity of the natural product.

Temperature-induced transition between polyproline I and II helices: quantitative fitting of hysteresis effects.

The conformational properties of the polyproline I (PPI) helix of oligoprolines toward heating were examined. Oligoproline H-Pro(12)-NH(2) served as a model which adopts in n-PrOH a pronounced PPI conformation with all cis amide bonds, whereas a polyproline II (PPII) conformation with all trans amide bonds is predominant in pure aqueous buffer. CD spectroscopic studies revealed that a conformational change from the PPI to the PPII helix takes place upon heating and back to the PPI helix upon cooling.

Effects of terminal functional groups on the stability of the polyproline II structure: a combined experimental and theoretical study.

The conformational stability of the polyproline II (PPII) helix with respect to the functional groups at the C- and N-termini was examined both experimentally and theoretically. Oligoprolines AcN-[Pro](12)-CONH(2) (1), HN-[Pro](12)-CONH(2) (2), AcN-[Pro](12)-CO(2)H (3), and HN-[Pro](12)-CO(2)H (4) with charged and capped termini served as model compounds, and the relative ease with which they switch from the PPII to the polyproline I (PPI) helix was used as a measure to analyze their conformational stabilities. CD spectroscopic studies demonstrate that a positively charged N-terminus and a negatively charged C-terminus destabilize the PPII helix and favor the PPI helix, whereas capped termini favor the PPII over the PPI helix.