Conformations of Protonated AlaDap and DapAla Characterized by IRMPD Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling.

Oligopeptides containing 2,3-diaminopropionic acid (Dap) serve as a unique model to study conformational effects on the ionizability of a side-chain group. In this study, conformations of acetylated isomeric dipeptide ions containing alanine (Ala) and Dap, AlaDapH and DapAlaH, are studied by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and computation. The IRMPD spectra are characterized in detail by comparing them with theoretical IR spectra of a set of low-energy conformations calculated at the ωB97X-D/6-311+G(d) level of theory.

Proton Affinity of Isomeric Dipeptides Containing Lysine and Non-Proteinogenic Lysine Homologues.

Conformational effects on the proton affinity of oligopeptides have been studied using six alanine (A)-based acetylated dipeptides containing a basic probe that is placed closest to either the C- or the N-terminus. The basic probe includes Lysine (Lys) and two nonproteinogenic Lys-homologues, ornithine (Orn) and 2,3-diaminopropionic acid (Dap). The proton affinities of the peptides have been determined using the extended Cooks kinetic method in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.

A biomimetic approach for enhancing the in vivo half-life of peptides.

The tremendous therapeutic potential of peptides has not yet been realized, mainly owing to their short in vivo half-life. Although conjugation to macromolecules has been a mainstay approach for enhancing protein half-life, the steric hindrance of macromolecules often harms the binding of peptides to target receptors, compromising the in vivo efficacy. Here we report a new strategy for enhancing the in vivo half-life of peptides without compromising their potency.

Determination of the gas-phase acidities of oligopeptides.

Amino acid residues located at different positions in folded proteins often exhibit different degrees of acidities. For example, a cysteine residue located at or near the N-terminus of a helix is often more acidic than that at or near the C-terminus (1-6). Although extensive experimental studies on the acid-base properties of peptides have been carried out in the condensed phase, in particular in aqueous solutions (6-8), the results are often complicated by solvent effects (7).