The conformational properties of dehydrobutyrine and dehydrovaline: theoretical and solid-state conformational studies

Insight into the Structure of Victorin, the Host-Selective Toxin from the Oat Pathogen Cochliobolus victoriae. Studies of the Unique Dehydroamino Acid β-Chlorodehydroalanine

Victorins, a family of peptide toxins, produced by the fungal pathogen Cochliobolus victoriae and responsible for disease of some oat varieties, contain a β-chlorodehydroalanine residue, ΔAla(βCl). To determine the conformational properties of this unique dehydroamino acid, a series of model compounds was studied using X-ray, NMR, and FT-IR methods, supported by theoretical calculations. The ΔAla(βCl) geometrical isomers differ in conformational profile. The isomer Z prefers the helical conformation α (φ, ψ = -61°, -24°), PPII type conformation β (φ, ψ = -47°, 136°), and semiextended conformation β2 (φ, ψ = -116°, 9°) in weakly and more polar solutions. The isomer E prefers mainly the extended conformation C5 (φ, ψ = -177°, 160°), but with an increase of the environment polarity also conformations β (φ, ψ = -44°, 132°) and α (φ, ψ = -53°, -39°). In the most stable conformations the N-H···Cl hydrogen bond (5^γ) occurs, created between the chlorine atom of the side chain and the N-H donor of the flanking amide group. The method of synthesis of the β-chlorodehydroalanine residue is proposed, by chlorination of dehydroalanine and then the photoisomerization from the isomer Z to E. The presented results indicate that the assignment of the geometrical isomer of the ΔAla(βCl) residue in naturally occurring victorins still remains an open question, despite being crucial for biological activity.

Non-Canonical Amino Acids as Building Blocks for Peptidomimetics: Structure, Function, and Applications

This review provides a fresh overview of non-canonical amino acids and their applications in the design of peptidomimetics. Non-canonical amino acids appear widely distributed in nature and are known to enhance the stability of specific secondary structures and/or biological function. Contrary to the ubiquitous DNA-encoded amino acids, the structure and function of these residues are not fully understood. Here, results from experimental and molecular modelling approaches are gathered to classify several classes of non-canonical amino acids according to their ability to induce specific secondary structures yielding different biological functions and improved stability. Regarding side-chain modifications, symmetrical and asymmetrical α,α-dialkyl glycines, Cα to Cα cyclized amino acids, proline analogues, β-substituted amino acids, and α,β-dehydro amino acids are some of the non-canonical representatives addressed. Backbone modifications were also examined, especially those that result in retro-inverso peptidomimetics and depsipeptides. All this knowledge has an important application in the field of peptidomimetics, which is in continuous progress and promises to deliver new biologically active molecules and new materials in the near future.

Thiazole-amino acids: influence of thiazole ring on conformational properties of amino acid residues

Post-translational modified thiazole-amino acid (Xaa-Tzl) residues have been found in macrocyclic peptides (e.g., thiopeptides and cyanobactins), which mostly inhibit protein synthesis in Gram + bacteria. Conformational study of the series of model compounds containing this structural motif with alanine, dehydroalanine, dehydrobutyrine and dehydrophenylalanine were performed using DFT method in various environments. The solid-state crystal structure conformations of thiazole-amino acid residues retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database were also analysed. The studied structural units tend to adopt the unique semi-extended β2 conformation; which is stabilised mainly by N-H⋯NTzl hydrogen bond, and for dehydroamino acids also by π-electron conjugation. The conformational preferences of amino acids with a thiazole ring were compared with oxazole analogues and the role of the sulfur atom in stabilising the conformations of studied peptides was discussed.

Impact of Dehydroamino Acids on the Structure and Stability of Incipient 310-Helical Peptides

A comparative study of the impact of small, medium-sized, and bulky α,β-dehydroamino acids (ΔAAs) on the structure and stability of Balaram's incipient 3₁₀-helical peptide (1) is reported. Replacement of the N-terminal Aib residue of 1 with a ΔAA afforded peptides 2a-c that maintained the 3₁₀-helical shape of 1. In contrast, installation of a ΔAA in place of Aib-3 yielded peptides 3a-c that preferred a β-sheet-like conformation. The impact of the ΔAA on peptide structure was independent of size, with small (ΔAla), medium-sized (Z-ΔAbu), and bulky (ΔVal) ΔAAs exerting similar effects. The proteolytic stabilities of 1 and its analogs were determined by incubation with Pronase. Z-ΔAbu and ΔVal increased the resistance of peptides to proteolysis when incorporated at the 3-position and had negligible impact on stability when placed at the 1-position, whereas ΔAla-containing peptides degraded rapidly regardless of position. Exposure of peptides 2a-c and 3a-c to the reactive thiol cysteamine revealed that ΔAla-containing peptides underwent conjugate addition at room temperature, while Z-ΔAbu- and ΔVal-containing peptides were inert even at elevated temperatures. These results suggest that both bulky and more accessible medium-sized ΔAAs should be valuable tools for bestowing rigidity and proteolytic stability on bioactive peptides.

Bulky Dehydroamino Acids Enhance Proteolytic Stability and Folding in β-Hairpin Peptides

The bulky dehydroamino acids dehydrovaline (ΔVal) and dehydroethylnorvaline (ΔEnv) can be inserted into the turn regions of β-hairpin peptides without altering their secondary structures. These residues increase proteolytic stability, with ΔVal at the (i + 1) position having the most substantial impact. Additionally, a bulky dehydroamino acid can be paired with a d-amino acid (i.e., d-Pro) to synergistically enhance resistance to proteolysis. A link between proteolytic stability and peptide structure is established by the finding that a stabilized ΔVal-containing β-hairpin is more highly folded than its Asn-containing congener.

Conformational preferences and synthesis of isomers Z and E of oxazole-dehydrophenylalanine

Dehydrophenylalanine, ΔPhe, is the most commonly studied α,β-dehydroamino acid. In nature, further modifications of the α,β-dehydroamino acids were found, for example, replacement of the C-terminal amide group by oxazole ring. The conformational properties of oxazole-dehydrophenylalanine residue (ΔPhe-Ozl), both isomers Z and E, were investigated. To determine all possible conformations, theoretical calculations were performed using Ac-(Z/E)-ΔPhe-Ozl(4-Me) model compounds at M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. Ac-(Z/E)-ΔPhe-Ozl-4-COOEt compounds were synthesized and the conformational preferences of each isomer, Z and E, were investigated using FTIR and NMR-NOE in solutions of increasing polarity (CHCl3 , DMSO-d6). The solid-state low-temperature structures of Ac-(Z)-ΔPhe-Ozl-4-COOEt and its intermediate analog Ac-(Z)-ΔPhe-Ozn(4-OH)-4-COOEt were also determined. In a weakly polar environment, the ΔPhe-Ozl residue has a tendency to adopt the conformation β2 with the calculated φ and ψ angles of -127° and 0° for the isomer Z and -170° and 26° for the isomer E. The increase of environment polarity favors the helical conformation α and the beta-turn like conformation β, but the conformation β2 seems to be still accessible. The (E)-ΔPhe-Ozl residue can be obtained from the isomer Z in photoisomerization reaction. However, hydroxyl-oxazoline-dehydrophenylalanine ΔPhe-Ozn(4-OH) decomposes in such conditions. Alternatively, (E)-ΔPhe-NH2 can be applied as a substrate in the Hantzsch reaction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 283-294, 2016.

Cu-mediated enamide formation in the total synthesis of complex peptide natural products

Cu-mediated C(sp(2))-N bond formation has received intense interest recently, and has been applied to the total synthesis of a wide variety of structurally complex natural products. This review covers the synthetic assembly of peptide natural products in which Cu-mediated enamide formation is the key transformation. The total syntheses of cyclopeptide alkaloids, pacidamycin D, and yaku'amide A exemplify the versatility of the Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction in comparison to other synthetic methods.

Conformational properties of oxazole-amino acids: effect of the intramolecular N-H···N hydrogen bond

Oxazole ring occurs in numerous natural peptides, but conformational properties of the amino acid residue containing the oxazole ring in place of the C-terminal amide bond are poorly recognized. A series of model compounds constituted by the oxazole-amino acids occurring in nature, that is, oxazole-alanine (L-Ala-Ozl), oxazole-dehydroalanine (ΔAla-Ozl), and oxazole-dehydrobutyrine ((Z)-ΔAbu-Ozl), was investigated using theoretical calculations supported by FTIR and NMR spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It was found that the main feature of the studied oxazole-amino acids is the stable conformation β2 with the torsion angles φ and ψ of -150°, -10° for L-Ala-Ozl, -180°, 0° for ΔAla-Ozl, and -120°, 0° for (Z)-ΔAbu-Ozl, respectively. The conformation β2 is stabilized by the intramolecular N-H···N hydrogen bond and predominates in the low polar environment. In the case of the oxazole-dehydroamino acids, the π-electron conjugation that is spread on the oxazole ring and C(α)═C(β) double bond is an additional stabilizing interaction. The tendency to adopt the conformation β2 clearly decreases with increasing the polarity of environment, but still the oxazole-dehydroamino acids are considered to be more rigid and resistant to conformational changes.

The conformational properties of α,β-dehydroamino acids with a C-terminal ester group

α,β-Dehydroamino acid esters occur in nature. To investigate their conformational properties, a systematic theoretical analysis was performed on the model molecules Ac-ΔXaa-OMe [ΔXaa = ΔAla, (E)-ΔAbu, (Z)-ΔAbu, ΔVal] at the B3LYP/6-311+ + G(d,p) level in the gas phase as well as in chloroform and water solutions with the self-consistent reaction field-polarisable continuum model method. The Fourier transform IR spectra in CCl(4) and CHCl(3) have been analysed as well as the analogous solid state conformations drawn from The Cambridge Structural Database. The ΔAla residue has a considerable tendency to adopt planar conformations C5 (ϕ, ψ ≈ - 180°, 180°) and β2 (ϕ, ψ ≈ - 180°, 0°), regardless of the environment. The ΔVal residue prefers the conformation β2 (ϕ, ψ ≈ - 120°, 0°) in a low polar environment, but the conformations α (ϕ, ψ ≈ - 55°, 35°) and β (ϕ, ψ ≈ - 55°, 145°) when the polarity increases. The ΔAbu residues reveal intermediate properties, but their conformational dispositions depend on configuration of the side chain of residue: (E)-ΔAbu is similar to ΔAla, whereas (Z)-ΔAbu to ΔVal. Results indicate that the low-energy conformation β2 is the characteristic feature of dehydroamino acid esters. The studied molecules constitute conformational patterns for dehydroamino acid esters with various side chain substituents in either or both Z and E positions.