Nmr and computer-aided modeling studies of the interactions between a cyclic hexapeptide and the two enantiomers of some Boc- and Fmoc-amino acids

The cyclic hexapeptide cyclo-Pro¹-Gly²-Glu³(OBzl) -Pro⁴-Phes⁵-Leu⁶-] ( 1 ) was modeled and synthesized to be used for chiral discrimination studies. Total correlated spectroscopy and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy spectra of the cyclic hexapeptide 1 in CDCl₃ showed the presence of three stereoisomers: two dominant stereoisomers 1a and 1b that exchanged chemically with each other, and a minor stereoisomer 1c (4%) that exchanged exclusively with the stereoisomer 1b . Of the two dominant stereoisomers, only 1a interacted specifically with t-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc-) and 9-flourenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc-) amino acids in CDCl₃. The interaction site of la when complexing with the derivatized amino acids was the chain segment Phe⁵-Leu⁶. The Phe⁵ NH and Leu⁶ NH protons are contiguous and solvent exposed. Their nmr signals shifted strongly downfield with the addition of Boc- or Fmoc- amino acids to the peptide solution. Thus, both NH protons hydrogen bond to the amino acids, forming a two-point hydrogen-bonding complex. The peptide stereoisomer 1b did not interact specifically with the Boc- and Fmoc-amino acids because of the lack of two contiguous and solvent-exposed peptidic NH protons that seem to be needed for specific interactions of the cyclic hexapeptide 1 with the Boc- and Fmoc-amino acids. A clear difference in the interaction of 1a with D - and L -enantiomers of BocTrp and Fmoc-Trp was observed with nmr spectroscopy. Docking models and molecular mechanics calculations together with nmr observations showed that the NH proton of the indole ring of the Boc-L -Trp and the Fmoc-L- Trp hydrogen bonded to the Pro¹ carbonyl group. In this three-point hydrogen-bonding complex, the indole ring becomes locked underneath the Leu residue. The nmr signals of all the Leu⁶ protons (except for Leu NH) shifted strongly upfield owing to the shielding effect of the indole aromatic ring currents. The indole NH of the D -enantiomer did not hydrogen bond to the Pro¹ carbonyl group because the formation of such a three-point hydrogen-bonding complex was thermodynamically unfavorable. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.