Alanine scan and (2)H NMR analysis of the membrane-active peptide BP100 point to a distinct carpet mechanism of action.

The short membrane-active peptide BP100 [KKLFKKILKYL-NH2] is known as an effective antimicrobial and cell penetrating agent. For a functional alanine scan each of the 11 amino acids was replaced with deuterated Ala-d3, one at a time. MIC assays showed that a substitution of Lys did not affect the antimicrobial activity, but it decreased when a hydrophobic residue was replaced.

An antifungal protein from Ginkgo biloba binds actin and can trigger cell death.

Ginkbilobin is a short antifungal protein that had been purified and cloned from the seeds of the living fossil Ginkgo biloba. Homologues of this protein can be detected in all seed plants and the heterosporic fern Selaginella and are conserved with respect to domain structures, peptide motifs, and specific cysteine signatures. To get insight into the cellular functions of these conserved motifs, we expressed green fluorescent protein fusions of full-length and truncated ginkbilobin in tobacco BY-2 cells.

Controlling biological activity with light: diarylethene-containing cyclic peptidomimetics.

Photobiological processes in nature are usually triggered by nonpeptidic chromophores or by modified side chains. A system is presented in which the polypeptide backbone itself can be conformationally switched by light. An amino acid analogue was designed and synthesized based on a reversibly photoisomerizable diarylethene scaffold.

Dynamical structure of the short multifunctional peptide BP100 in membranes.

BP100 is a multifunctional membrane-active peptide of only 11 amino acids, with a high antimicrobial activity, an efficient cell-penetrating ability, and low hemolytic side-effects. It forms an amphiphilic α-helix, similar to other antimicrobial peptides like magainin. However, BP100 is very short and thus unlikely to form membrane-spanning pores as proposed for longer peptides as a mechanism of action.

Folding and self-assembly of the TatA translocation pore based on a charge zipper mechanism.

We propose a concept for the folding and self-assembly of the pore-forming TatA complex from the Twin-arginine translocase and of other membrane proteins based on electrostatic "charge zippers." Each subunit of TatA consists of a transmembrane segment, an amphiphilic helix (APH), and a C-terminal densely charged region (DCR). The sequence of charges in the DCR is complementary to the charge pattern on the APH, suggesting that the protein can be "zipped up" by a ladder of seven salt bridges.

Incorporation of cis- and trans-4,5-difluoromethanoprolines into polypeptides.

Substituted prolines exert diverse effects on the backbone conformation of proteins. Novel difluoro-analogues were obtained by adding difluorocarbene to N-Boc-4,5-dehydroproline methyl ester, which gave the trans-adduct as the sole product with 71% yield. Upon cleavage of the N-protection group the free amino acid decomposed rapidly.

Structure analysis of the membrane-bound PhoD signal peptide of the Tat translocase shows an N-terminal amphiphilic helix.

Tat signal peptides provide the key signature for proteins that get exported by the bacterial twin arginine translocase. We have characterized the structure of the PhoD signal peptide from Bacillus subtilis in suitable membrane-mimicking environments. High-resolution ¹³C/¹⁵N NMR analysis in detergent micelles revealed a helical stretch in the signal peptide between positions 5 and 15, in good agreement with secondary structure prediction and circular dichroism results.

Reorientation and dimerization of the membrane-bound antimicrobial peptide PGLa from microsecond all-atom MD simulations.

The membrane-active antimicrobial peptide PGLa from Xenopus laevis is known from solid-state (2)H-, (15)N-, and (19)F-NMR spectroscopy to occupy two distinct α-helical surface adsorbed states in membranes: a surface-bound S-state with a tilt angle of ~95° at low peptide/lipid molar ratio (P/L = 1:200), and an obliquely tilted T-state with a tilt angle of 127° at higher peptide concentration (P/L = 1:50). Using a rapid molecular-dynamics insertion protocol in combination with microsecond-scale simulation, we have characterized the structure of both states in detail. As expected, the amphiphilic peptide resides horizontally on the membrane surface in a monomeric form at a low P/L, whereas the T-state is seen in the simulations to be a symmetric antiparallel dimer, with close contacts between small glycine and alanine residues at the interface.

Comparative analysis of the orientation of transmembrane peptides using solid-state (2)H- and (15)N-NMR: mobility matters.

Many solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approaches for membrane proteins rely on orientation-dependent parameters, from which the alignment of peptide segments in the lipid bilayer can be calculated. Molecules embedded in liquid-crystalline membranes, such as monomeric helices, are highly mobile, leading to partial averaging of the measured NMR parameters. These dynamic effects need to be taken into account to avoid misinterpretation of NMR data.

Alignment of druglike compounds in lipid bilayers analyzed by solid-state (19)F-NMR and molecular dynamics, based on dipolar couplings of adjacent CF3 groups.

Solid-state (19)F-NMR spectroscopy is frequently used to analyze the structure and dynamics of lipophilic drugs and peptides embedded in biomembranes. The homonuclear dipolar couplings of trifluoromethyl (CF3) labels can provide valuable parameters such as orientational constraints and/or distances. To characterize the complex dipolar patterns of multiple (19)F spin interactions, three different model compounds carrying two CF3 groups in meta-position on a phenyl ring were incorporated in macroscopically aligned DMPC bilayers.

Irregular structure of the HIV fusion peptide in membranes demonstrated by solid-state NMR and MD simulations.

To better understand peptide-induced membrane fusion at a molecular level, we set out to determine the structure of the fusogenic peptide FP23 from the HIV-1 protein gp41 when bound to a lipid bilayer. An established solid-state (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach was used to collect local orientational constraints from a series of CF(3)-phenylglycine-labeled peptide analogues in macroscopically aligned membranes. Fusion assays showed that these (19)F-labels did not significantly affect peptide function.