Conformation of histidine model peptides. III. Chiroptical properties of cyclo-L-alanyl-L-histidine and cyclo-L-histidinyl-L-histidine

The chiroptical properties of the cyclic dipeptides cyclo-L -alanyl-L -histidine and cyclo-L -histidinyl-L -histidine have been investigated as a function of molecular conformation. The rotatory strengths of the n-π* transitions of the peptide chromophores and the lowest energy π-π* transitions of the imidazole chromophores have been calculated as a function of the angle of fold of the cyclic dipeptide group and the dihedral angles χ¹ and χ² of the amino acid side chains. The results of this investigation are consistent with the preferred position of the dihedral angle χ¹ occurring near 60° in the free base form of cyclo-L -alanyl-L -histidine, and near 180° when the imidazole side chain is protonated. Furthermore, in the case of the free base form of the imidazole group, it is possible that the tautomeric isomer in which N^ε is protonated may be more prevalent than the isomer in which N^δ is protonated.     

Infrared spectroscopic characterization of copper–polyhistidine from 1,800 to 50 cm−1: model systems for copper coordination

Poly(l-histidine) and imidazole in the presence of copper cations have been investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectroscopy in the mid- and far-IR spectral range to establish specific marker bands of the copper-coordination site in metalloproteins as a function of pH as well as the effect of the coordination on the amino acid contributions. Whereas the well-known mid-IR region was specific for the secondary structure of the protein mimics, the far-IR region included contributions from the metal–ligand vibrations. The addition of copper led to secondary structure changes of poly(l-histidine) at neutral and basic pD and to specific shifts of ring vibrations. At pD 9.5 the addition of copper deprotonated the nitrogen atoms of the imidazole ring and the backbone. At neutral pD the copper cations were coordinated by the N3 atom of the imidazole ring. Copper–imidazole vibrations at neutral pD were observed at 154 and 128 cm⁻¹. Signals observed at 313 and 162 cm⁻¹ were assigned to metal–ligand vibrations arising from copper–poly(l-histidine) complexes with a negatively charged imidazole ring.     

Biochemical characterization of Epstein-Barr virus membrane antigen associated glycoproteins

A direct fluorination of the imidazole side chain of thyroliberin using a photochemical method is described. Preparation of 5-fluoro-imidazole-thyroliberin and 2-fluoro-imidazole-thyroliberin was achieved by successive diazocoupling, amination and fluorination. Specifically substituted derivatives were purified and identified at each step. 5-fluoro-imidazole-thyroliberin was found as active as TRF on short-term prolactin release in GH₃ cell lines and more active (4.5 times) than the parental peptide on long-term experiments. 2-fluoro-imidazole-thyroliberin biological activity test shall be delayed since its chemical stability is not known precisely.     

Conformation of histidine model peptides. I. Conformational energy calculations for L-alanyl-L-histidine diketopiperazine

Semiempirical conformational energy calculations were carried out for the cyclic dipeptide L -alanyl-L -histidine diketopiperazine. The results indicate that electrostatic effects are probably significant in determining the conformation assumed by this molecule. When the imidazole group is in its uncharged state the most stable conformations of the molecule are those with the imidazole ring folded over the diketopiperazine ring (χ¹ = 60°). Upon protonation of the imidazole group the folded conformation may be destabilized relative to conformations characterized by χ¹ positions near 180°.     

Compounds containing 2-substituted imidazole ring for treatment against human African trypanosomiasis

A series of compounds containing 2-substituted imidazoles has been synthesized from imidazole and tested for its biological activity against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). The 2-substituted 5-nitroimidazoles such as fexinidazole (7a) and 1-[4-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-ylmethoxy)-pyridin-2-yl-piperazine (9e) exhibited potent activity against T. brucei in vitro with low cytotoxicity and good solubility. The presence of the NO₂ group at the 5-position of the imidazole ring in 2-substituted imidazoles is the crucial factor to inhibit T. brucei.     

1H nuclear magnetic resonance studies of histidine-containing di- and tripeptides. Estimation of the effects of charged groups on the pKa value of the imidazole ring.

The nmr titration curves of chemical shifts versus pH were observed for the protons of various histidine-containing di- and tripeptides. With these results, the macroscopic pK_a values and the chemical shifts intrinsic to each ionic species were determined by a computer curve-fitting based on a simple acid dissociation sequence. The pK_a value of the imidazole ring in N-acetyl-L -histidine methylamide was assumed to represent the intrinsic (or unperturbed) pK_a of the imidazole rings of histidine having peptide linkages at both the CO and NH sides. The pK_a values of the imidazole rings observed for most di- and tripeptides were reasonably reproduced by simple calculations using the intrinsic value and the perturbations due to the CO₂^? and NH₃⁺ groups located at various positions. Some other factors affecting the pK_a value of the imidazole ring are also discussed.     

An Original Strategy for Gln Containing Peptide Synthesis Using SPPS and Glu(OH)-1-OAll

Using multiple peptide synthesis in parallel, a series of 24 compounds analogues of tripeptide sequence Z-Leu-Phe-Gln-H, modified by imidazole moiety were synthesized. An effective and simple scheme for including imidazole heterocycle to C- and/or N-terminus of Gln residue was created by means of allyl group as α-COOH protecting group for Fmoc-Glu. The approach using Fmoc-Glu-1-OAll as a first amino acid linked to the resin could be useful for the synthesis of a large number of amino acids and/or heterocyclic moieties including compounds. Based on the preliminary biological trials we could conclude that the presence of imidazole heterocycle affect positively the antiviral activity against Coxsackieviruses B1 and Poliovirus type 1.     

The reaction of mercuric acetate with histidine and tyrosine

The reaction of mercuric acetate with polypeptides in an appropriate buffer system has been found to result in the selective binding of two atoms of mercury to each tyrosine and histidine residue. These heavy atom labels are stable to the high chloride concentrations used to displace the excess mercury (II) from other binding sites on the polypeptide. The kinetics and stoichiometry of these reactions have been studied by the binding of radioactive (²⁰³Hg) mercuric acetate to synthetic polymers of these amino acids and by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. For a polymer containing tyrosine the mercuration kinetics closely match those for the following mechanism:

At 60°C, and in a buffer containing 0.05M TRIS-acetate, k₁ was determined to be 9.47 ± 0.27 M^?1 min^?1. The best match to the data was for k₁/k₁ = 5.5 It was discovered that there is an inverse relationship between k₁ and the TRIS buffer concentration. The activation energy of k₁ was determined to be 18.9 ± 0.1 kcal/mole.Chemical analyses of the products obtained from the reaction of mercuric acetate with tyrosine amide, L(-)-histidine and the methyl ester of L(-)-histidine have established that mercuration results in the formation of a Hg-C bond at the C₃ and C₅ sites on the phenolic ring in tyrosine and at the C₄ site in the imidazole ring in histidine. The site of the second mercury retained by histidine in the presence of high chloride concentrations is uncertain but does involve the amine functions of the imidazole ring.The reaction conditions employed also cause the oxidation of methionine and cysteine to methionine sulfoxide and cysteic acid, respectively. Cystine, however, resists oxidation.     

Copper (II) complex-catalyzed oxidation of NADH by hydrogen peroxide

Among various metal ions of physiological interest, Cu²⁺ is uniquely capable of catalyzing the oxidation of NADH by H₂O₂. This oxidation is stimulated about fivefold in the presence of imidazole. A similar activating effect is found for some imidazole derivatives (1-methyl imidazole, 2-methyl imidazole, andN-acetyl-L-histidine). Some other imidazole-containing compounds (L-histidine,L-histidine methyl ester, andL-carnosine), however, inhibit the Cu²⁺-catalyzed peroxidation of NADH. Other chelating agents such as EDTA andL-alanine are also inhibitory. Stoichiometry for NADH oxidation per mole of H₂O₂ utilized is 1, which excludes the possibility of a two-step oxidation mechanism with a nucleotide free-radical intermediate. About 92% of the NADH oxidation product can be identified as enzymatically active NAD⁺. D₂O, 2,5-dimethylfuran, and 1,4-diazabicyclo [2.2.2]-octane have no significant effect on the oxidation, thus excluding¹O₂ as a mediator. Similarly, OH· is also not a likely intermediate, since the system is not affected by various scavengers of this radical. The results suggest that a copper-hydrogen peroxide intermediate, when complexed with suitable ligands, can generate still another oxygen species much more reactive than its parent compound, H₂O₂.     

Raman spectra of polypeptides containing L-histidine residues and tautomerism of imidazole side chain

Raman spectra were measured for poly(L -histidine) in H₂O, poly(L -histidine-d₂ and -d₃) in D₂O, L -histidine in H₂O, L -histidine-d₃ (and d₄) in D₂O, and 4-methylimidazole in H₂O with various pH (or pD) values. The Raman scattering peaks observed for these samples were ascribed to the neutral and positively charged imidazole groups on the basis of the spectral changes due to the pH variation and to the deuterium substitution of the imino protons. The vibrational modes of these peaks were deduced from the normal coordinate analysis made on the positively charged and neutral 4-ethylimidazoles. The Raman scattering peaks from the imidazole groups in the neutral form clearly indicate that these imidazole groups exist in the equilibrium between the two tautomeric forms, the 1-N protonated from (tautomer I) and the 3-N protonated one (tautomer II). For example, the breathing vibration of the 1-N protonated form is observed at 1282 cm^?1 for L -histidine and at 1304 cm^?1 for 4-methylimidazole, while the breathing vibration of the 3-N protonated form is observed at 1260 cm^?1 for L -histidine and 4-methylimidazole. From the temperature dependence of the relative intensities of the tautomer I peak to that of the tautomer II, it was concluded that the tautomer I is energetically more stable than the tautomer II, and the ΔH value is 1.0 ± 0.3 kcal/mol for L -histidine and 0.4 ± 0.1 kcal/mol for 4-methylimidazole. Poly(L -histidine) with the neutral imidazole side chains shows the amide I peak at 1672 cm^?1, indicating that the sample assumes the antiparallel pleated-sheet structure. Poly(L -Ala⁷⁵L -His²⁵) and poly(L -Ala⁵⁰L -His⁵⁰) were found to take the α-helical and β-form conformations, respectively.     

Preparation and reactivity studies of synthetic microperoxidases containing<Emphasis Type="Italic"> b</Emphasis>-type heme

In order to create a heme environment that permits biomimicry of heme-containing peroxidases, a number of new hemin–peptide complexes—hemin-2(18)-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester (HGH), hemin-2(18)-glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester (HGGH), and hemin-2,18-bis(glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester) (H2GGH)—have been prepared by condensation of glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester or glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester with the propionic side chains of hemin. Characterization by means of UV/vis- and ¹H NMR spectroscopy as well as cyclic- and differential pulse voltammetry indicates the formation of five-coordinate complexes in the case of HGH and HGGH, with histidine as an axial ligand. In the case of H2GGH, a six-coordinate complex with both imidazoles coordinated to the iron center appears to be formed. However, ¹H NMR of H2GGH reveals the existence of an equilibrium between low-spin six-coordinate and high-spin five-coordinate species in solution. The catalytic activity of the hemin–peptide complexes towards several organic substrates, such as p-cresol, l-tyrosine methyl ester, and ABTS, has been investigated. It was found that not only the five-coordinate HGH and HGGH complexes, but also the six-coordinate H2GGH, catalyze the oxidation of substrates by H₂O₂. The longer and less strained peptide arm provides the HGGH complex with a slightly higher catalytic efficiency, as compared with HGH, due to formation of more stable intermediate complexes.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00775-004-0532-5.Abbreviations ABTS 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) - DCC dicyclohexylcarbodiimide - HGH hemin-2(18)-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester - HGGH hemin-2(18)-glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester - H2GGH hemin-2,18-bis(glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine methyl ester) - HOBt N-hydroxybenzotriazole     

The reactivity of imidazole nitrogens in histidine to alkylation

Copper(II)-histidine complex was allowed to react at pH 6.0–6.1 at 22°C with bromoacetic acid. The reaction was followed by means of amino acid analysis of the histidine and N^im-carboxymethylhistidine derivatives. The results of the alkylation study indicate that the nucleophilic, active histidine molecule is coordinated to the copper(II) ion through the amino nitrogen and a carboxylate oxygen with the imidazole group turned away from the copper. This model of copper-bound histidine permitted the determination of the intrinsic nucleophilic activity of the imidazole nitrogens through their respective rate constants for alkylation. The tele-nitrogen is three times more reactive than the pros-nitrogen in the histidine and in the pros-carboxymethylhistidine-tele-carboxymethylhistidine systems. The carboxymethylation of copper(II)-histidine and bovine pancreatic ribonuclease have some analogies, which suggest that in pros-carboxymethylhistidine-119 ribonuclease the carboxylate unit of the alkylated histidine residue points into the active site.     

Modified chemotactic peptides: Synthesis,conformation, and biological activity of for-Thp-Leu-ΔzPhe-OMe

For-Thp-Leu-Δ^zPhe-OMe ( 2 ), an analogue of the chemotactic tripeptide For-Met-Leu-Phe-OMe, containing 4-aminotetrahydrothiopyran-4-carboxylic acid (Thp) and (Z)-2,3-didehydrophenylalanine (Δ^zPhe) as achiral, conformationally restricted mimics of Met and Phe, respectively, has been synthesized. In the crystal the new formyltripeptide adopts a type I β-turn conformation stabilized by a weak H bond between the formylic oxygen and the Δ^zPhe NH. ¹H-nmr analysis based on NH solvent accessibility and nuclear Overhauser effect experiments suggests that the β-turn is not preferred in CDCl₃ solution where a γ-turn, centered at the Thp residue, prevails. The biological activity of 2 has been determined on human neutrophils and compared to that of previously studied analogues. The tripeptide 2 is practically unable to elicit superoxide anion production and lysozyme release, while slight, but not statistically significant activity was induced in chemotaxis. The role of the orientation of the aromatic ring with respect to the backbone adjacent atoms is discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Purification and characterization of a novel imidazole dipeptide synthase from the muscle of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

We have purified a novel enzyme from eel white muscle which catalyzes the syntheses of imidazole dipeptides, such as carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), anserine (β-alanyl-π-methyl-l-histidine), and balenine (ophidine; β-alanyl-τ-methyl-l-histidine), directly from their precursors. The enzyme was purified 1130-fold from eel muscle by a series of column chromatographies. Although eel muscle contains a large amount of carnosine and only trace amounts of anserine and balenine, the anserine synthesizing activity was by far the highest. From gel permeation chromatography, the molecular mass of the enzyme was calculated to be 275 kDa. SDS-PAGE of the purified enzyme represented a band around 43 kDa, suggesting that the native enzyme is a hexamer or heptamer. The optimal pH and temperature were around 9.5 and 60 °C, respectively. K_m values for β-alanine and π-methyl-l-histidine were 44 and 89 mM, respectively. The enzyme was greatly activated by Zn²⁺ and inhibited by EDTA. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of 25 residues of the purified enzyme showed 52% amino acid identity to 38–62 residues of zebrafish haptoglobin precursor. The purified enzyme also exhibited hydrolytic activity against these imidazole dipeptides.     

Stereological and biochemical analysis of prolactin and growth hormone secreting rat pituitary cells in culture

Summary The secretion of prolactin is increased by treatment of prolactin producing rat pituitary cells with the hypothalamic tripeptide thyroliberin. To investigate the underlying mechanisms we used three closely related rat pituitary tumor cell strains (GH₁2C₁, GH₃ and GH₄C₁), which synthesize and spontaneously secrete prolactin and/or growth hormone. Growth hormone and prolactin released into the culture medium over a period of 24 h were measured by radioimmunoassay. Initial rates of synthesis were measured by immunoprecipitation of intracellular growth hormone and prolactin after incubation of cell cultures with ³H-leucine. The observed increase in prolactin synthesis and release was correlated with morphological effects of thyroliberin treatment. The volume density of Golgi complexes and the volume and surface densities of rough endoplasmic reticulum were compared in untreated cells and thyroliberin treated cells. As normal distribution could not be assumed, the non-parametric rank test of Wilcoxon was used whereby the densities calculated for each cell section were ranked. Alle three morphological parameters increased after thyroliberin treatment in cells secreting prolactin only (GH₄C₁), implying that the increase of prolactin secretion, at lest in part, is due to increased prolactin synthesis.     

Synthesis and utilization of 13C and 15N backbone-labeled proline: NMR study of synthesized oxytocin with backbone-labeled C-terminal tripeptide amide

Summary. The ¹³C and ¹⁵N backbone-labeled proline was prepared using Oppolzer’s method based on application of a sultam as chiral auxiliary. This isotopomer was used in the synthesis of the ¹³C, ¹⁵N backbone-labeled C-terminal tripeptide amide fragment of neurohypophyseal hormone oxytocin. Finally, this tripeptide amide was coupled by segment condensation with N-Boc- or N-Fmoc-tocinoic acid, followed by N-deprotection with TFA or piperidine. The labeled oxytocin exhibited biological activity identical with that of natural oxytocin. A detailed ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR study confirmed the assigned oxytocin conformation containing a β-turn in the cyclic part of the molecule, stabilized by H-bond(s) that can be perturbed by the C-terminal tripeptide amide moiety as indicated by comparison of NMR data for both the tocine ring in oxytocin and tocinoic acid.     

How the imidazole ring modulates amyloid formation of islet amyloid polypeptide: A chemical modification study

BackgroundThe misfolding of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is an important pathological factor on the onset of type 2 diabetes. A number of studies have been focused on His¹⁸, the only histidine of hIAPP, whose imidazole ring and the protonation state might impact hIAPP amyloid formation, but the exact mechanism remains unclear.MethodsWe used diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) to specifically modify His¹⁸ and obtained mono-ethyloxyformylated hIAPP (DMI). Thioflavin T based fluorescence, transmission electronic microscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence dye leakage, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulation were applied to study the impact of DEPC-modification on hIAPP amyloid formation.ResultsAfter an ethyl-acetate group was introduced to the His¹⁸ of hIAPP by diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) modification, the pH dependent hIAPP fibrillation went to the opposite order and the number of intra-molecular hydrogen bonds decreased, while the possibility of His¹⁸ participating in the formation of α-helical structures increased. Furthermore, the membrane–peptide interaction and ion–peptide interaction were both impaired.ConclusionsThe intramolecular hydrogen bond formation by His¹⁸ and the possibility of His¹⁸ participating in the formation of α-helical structures greatly modulated the manner of hIAPP amyloid formation. The imidazole ring directly participates in the hIAPP–membrane/ion interaction.General significanceDEPC modification is an alternative approach to investigate the role of the imidazole ring during amyloid formation.     

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs lacking N-terminal pGlu ring structure

Six analogs of LH-RH lacking N-terminal pGlu ring structure, Gly¹-LH-RH, formyl Gly¹-LH-RH, acetyl Gly¹-LH-RH, propionyl Gly¹-LH-RH, palmitoyl Gly¹-LH-RH and acetyl Ala¹-LH-RH were synthesized. The Gly¹ analog was inactive, whereas acyl Gly¹ analogs except palmitoyl Gly¹ analog showed small but significant LH-RH activity in spite of the lack of the pyrrolidone ring structure. These findings suggest that the -CO-NHCHCO- group is the minimum necessary part of the pGlu residue to exhibit the biological activity.     

Rate enhancement by catalytic groups in enzymes. Imidazole catalysis of the hydrolysis of N,O-diacetylserinamide as a model for general base catalysis in chymotrypsin

An attempt to estimate the importance of general acid-base catalysis in enzymic catalysis has been made, using the hydrolysis of the ester group of N,O-diacetylserinamide as a model for the deacylation of acyl-chymotrypsins. General base catalysis of this reaction by imidazole is estimated to reduce the activation energy by at least 31 kJ mol^?1. The rate of reaction, however, is not greatly enhanced because of an unfavourable change in the entropy of activation from ?132 to ?197 JK^?1 mol^?1. At about 300 K, a typical temperature for enzyme-catalysed reactions, the reduction in activation energy would cause a rate enhancement of about 3 × 10⁵-fold if the unfavourable entropy change did not occur. For specific acyl-chymotrypsins the entropy of activation for deacylation is about ?89 J K^?1 mol^?1, allowing the full effect of general base catalysis by imidazole to be realized. It is, therefore, postulated that in the active site of an enzyme, a properly oriented imidazole side chain may catalyse the rate of a reaction 10⁵-fold by general base catalysis.     

Proton magnetic resonance studies on dermorphin and its peptide fragments

Dermorphin (Tyr? D-Ala? Phe? Gly? Tyr? Pro? Ser? NH₂), a potent natural peptide opioid, its synthetic L-Ala² analog, and all the N fragments from the tripeptide (Tyr? D -Ala? Phe? NH₂) to the parent hexapeptide amide were characterized for the first time by means of proton nmr spectroscopy at 11.74 T. Assignments of most protons of dermorphin were facilitated by the study of the N-terminal fragments. Comparison of spectroscopic parameters with relative pharmacological activity is proposed as a possible means of studying flexible agonists in solution.