Cyclic modular β-sheets

The development of peptide beta-hairpins is problematic, because folding depends on the amino acid sequence and changes to the sequence can significantly decrease folding. Robust beta-hairpins that can tolerate such changes are attractive tools for studying interactions involving protein beta-sheets and developing inhibitors of these interactions. This paper introduces a new class of peptide models of protein beta-sheets that addresses the problem of separating folding from the sequence. These model beta-sheets are macrocyclic peptides that fold in water to present a pentapeptide beta-strand along one edge; the other edge contains the tripeptide beta-strand mimic Hao [JACS 2000, 122, 7654] and two additional amino acids. The pentapeptide and Hao-containing peptide strands are connected by two delta-linked ornithine ((delta)Orn) turns [JACS 2003, 125, 876]. Each (delta)Orn turn contains a free alpha-amino group that permits the linking of individual modules to form divalent beta-sheets. These cyclic modular beta-sheets are synthesized by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis of a linear precursor followed by solution-phase cyclization. Eight cyclic modular beta-sheets 1a-1h containing sequences based on beta-amyloid and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 were synthesized and characterized by H-1 NMR. Linked cyclic modular beta-sheet 2, which contains two modules of 1b, was also synthesized and characterized. H-1 NMR studies show downfield alpha-proton chemical shifts, (delta)Orn delta-proton magnetic anisotropy, and NOE cross-peaks that establish all compounds but 1c and 1g to be moderately or well folded into a conformation that resembles a beta-sheet. Pulsed- field gradient NMR diffusion experiments show little or no self-association at low (<= 2 mM) concentrations. Changes to the residues in the Hao-containing strands of 1c and 1g improve folding and show that folding of the structures can be enhanced without altering the sequence of the pentapeptide strand. Well-folded cyclic modular beta-sheets 1a, 1b, and 1f each have a phenylalanine directly across from Hao, suggesting that cyclic modular beta-sheets containing aromatic residues across from Hao are better folded.