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Theoretical conformational analysis of phospholipids. I. Study of the interactions between phospholipid molecules by use of semi-empirical methods with the explicit introduction of polar headgroup interactions.

We present a theoretical conformational analysis of a system composed of seven dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine molecules in interaction. The combined use of classical semi-empirical methods for the polar headgroup region with mechanical statistical calculations for the aliphatic chains permits the evaluation of the free energy for a phospholipids molecule. The free energy variation in function of the mean intermolecular interchain distance gives information about the main lipid bilayer phase transition. It appears, however, necessary to take into account the hydration of the polar headgroups.

Calorimetry↗

Conformational analysis of lipid-associating proteins in a lipid environment.

Two major types of helical structures have been identified in lipid-associating proteins, being either amphipathic or transmembrane domains. A conformational analysis was carried out to characterize some of the properties of these helices. These calculations were performed both on isolated helices and in a lipid environment. According to the results of this analysis, the orientation of the line joining the hydrophobic and hydrophilic centers of the helix seems to determine the orientation of the helix at the lipid/water interface. The calculation of this parameter should be useful to discriminate between an amphipathic helix, parallel to the interface and a transmembrane helix orientated perpendicularly. The membrane-spanning helices are completely immersed in the phospholipid bilayer and their length corresponds to about the thickness of the hydrophobic core of the DPPC bilayer. The energy of interaction, expressed per phospholipid is significantly higher for the transmembrane compared to the amphipathic helices. For the membrane-spanning helices the mean energy of interaction is higher than the interaction energy between two phospholipids, while it is lower for most amphipathic helices. This might account for the stability of these protein-anchoring domains. This computer modeling approach should usefully complement the statistical analysis carried out on these helices, based on their hydrophobicity and hydrophobic moment. It represents a more refined analysis of the domains identified by the prediction techniques and stress the functional character of lipid-associating domains in membrane proteins as well as in soluble plasma lipoproteins.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗

Conformational analysis of endomorphin-2 by molecular dynamics methods.

Endomorphin-2 (EM2, H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH(2)) is a highly potent and selective mu-opioid receptor agonist. A conformational analysis of EM2 was carried out by simulated annealing (SA) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. Molecular modeling was conducted on both neutral (N-terminal NH(2)) and charged (N-terminal NH(3) (+)) molecules. Based on the results of NMR investigations showing an equilibrium mixture of cis and trans Tyr(1)-Pro(2) peptide bonds for EM2 in solution, simulations were performed with restrained cis-Pro and trans-Pro peptide bonds, too. A separate SA study with unrestrained Pro peptide bonds was also conducted. Preferred conformational states are presented in Ramachandran plots. The g(+), g(-), and trans populations of the aromatic amino acid residue side chains were determined in chi(1) space. The distances between the N-terminal N atom and the other backbone N and O atoms, and the distances between the centers of the aromatic rings and the Pro(2) ring, were determined. The energy distribution of the structures obtained by SA was calculated. The preferred secondary structural elements were different kinds of beta-turns, an inverse gamma-turn located in the N-terminal region, and regular and inverse gamma-turns located in the C-terminal region. These turns were stabilized by intramolecular H-bonds and bifurcated H-bonds.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Synthesis and conformational analysis of (alpha Me)Leu/Aib model peptides.

We have synthesized by solution methods and fully characterized a variety of (alpha Me)Leu/Aib model peptides to the octapeptide level. A solution conformational analysis was performed by using infrared absorption. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, and circular dichroism. The crystal-state structures of Z-D-(alpha Me)Leu-(Aib)2-OtBu, pBrBz-(Aib)2-D-(alpha Me)Leu-(Aib)2-OtBu, and Ac-(Aib)2-D-(alpha Me)Leu-(Aib)2-OtBu monohydrate were solved by x-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the (alpha Me)Leu residue may be easily incorporated into beta-bends and 3(10)-helical structures, and suggest that this residue tends to induce a helix handedness opposite to that promoted by its unmethylated counterpart (Leu) of the same optical configuration.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗

A conformational analysis study of the interaction of amiodarone and cholesterol with lysophosphatidylcholine.

The spatial configuration of amiodarone (in both its protonated and neutral forms) and a hydroxylated analog was studied using conformational analysis in a simulated membrane-water environment. The three compounds and cholesterol were studied as isolated molecules and in interaction with lysophosphatidylcholine. The association of the molecules with lysophosphatidylcholine was further characterized by incorporation in a phosphatidylcholine matrix. Calculation of the mean interaction energy, the surface charge density and the hydrophilic and hydrophobic mean molecular areas showed that the protonated form of amiodarone, and to a lesser extent cholesterol form a stable association with lysophosphatidylcholine. This association was further stabilized when incorporated into a phosphatidylcholine matrix so that the mean interaction energy increased to -96.1 kJ/mol (i.e. 60% higher than the mean lipid-lipid energy of interaction). Lysophosphatidylcholine was shown to possess a cone-shaped structure whilst amiodarone was shown to be in the form of an inverted cone. This association of the two cones forms a stable cylindrical structure.

Amiodarone↗

H3-receptor antagonists: conformational analysis of thioperamide and x-ray crystal structure of the analog N-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidine-1-carbothioamide.

Thioperamide (N-cyclohexyl-4-[4(5)-imidazolyl]piperidine-1-carbothioamide) is a potent H3-receptor antagonist, the low conformational flexibility of which could be a favourable feature in the design of new H3-receptor antagonists using its structure as a template. Minimum-energy conformations of thioperamide were studied with the molecular mechanics approach, integrated by X-ray crystallography on an analogue, N-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidine-1-carbothioamide (1). Compound 1 was synthesized, and its structure has been solved by X-ray diffraction in order to verify the conformation of the piperidine-1-carbothioamide fragment, and to compare the crystallographic results with those of molecular mechanics. Conformational analysis on the free-rotating bonds of thioperamide was performed with different search methods in order to find the minimum-energy conformations and to estimate rotational barriers. For steric reasons, the rotation around the bond connecting the cyclohexane ring with the carbothioamide nitrogen is more hampered than that around the bond connecting imidazole with piperidine. The rotation around the first bond presents two symmetrical energy minima separated from a third minimum by an energy barrier of 40 KJ/mol. The spatial disposition of compound 1 in the crystal and the common part of thioperamide in one of its minimum-energy conformations are very similar. The minimum-energy conformations of thioperamide calculated by molecular mechanics are therefore reliable and they can be used for structural comparisons with other H3-receptor antagonists.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗

Conformational analysis of COOH-terminal segments of human C3a. Evidence of ordered conformation in an active 21-residue peptide.

Human C3a, a 77-residue fragment released during activation of the serum complement system, is a potent spasmogen that contracts a variety of smooth muscle tissues and enhances vascular permeability. Previous studies have suggested that a 5-residue, COOH-terminal segment of C3a constitutes the essential active site of this molecule; however, the pentapeptide is 1000-fold less active than C3a. Human C3a 57-77, a synthetic segment containing the 21 COOH-terminal residues of C3a, exhibits potencies nearly equivalent to those of natural C3a in several biologic assay systems. The circular dichroism spectra of synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences 57-77, 65-77, and 73-77 in human C3a were measured in water and trifluoroethanol. The CD spectra in the far-UV region indicate that each C3a peptide assumes a random coil conformation in aqueous solution with little evidence of alpha-helical structure. However, C3a peptide 57-77 assumes predominantly an alpha-helical conformation (47%) in 25% trifluoroethanol, while the shorter tridecapeptide 65-77 and pentapeptide 73-77 appear by CD to contain beta-turn conformations only Crystallographic analysis of human C3a indicated that the NH2-terminal portion of peptide 57-77 adopts an alpha-helical structure and that the COOH-terminal portion, including residues 73-77, contains an irregular fold much like a beta-turn. Since C3a peptide 57-77 exhibits activities qualitatively and quantitatively similar to natural C3a, we propose that this synthetic peptide adopts a helical conformation when bound to its cellular receptor which corresponds to that in the intact C3a molecule. Consequently, the NH2-terminal portion (residues 1-21) and the disulfide-linked core region (residues 22-57) in intact C3a serve primarily to stabilize ordered conformation in the COOH-terminal region (residues 58-77) and thereby orient side chains at the essential active site for optimal receptor interaction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Generate: a program for 3-D structure generation and conformational analysis of peptides and peptidomimetics.

The program Generate, aimed at generating 3-D structures for peptides and peptidomimetics, is presented. The algorithm is based on a build-up procedure, using a library of conformations of amino acid residues. This library is built from conformational analysis of amino acids placed in a di- or tripeptide environment to mimic the surroundings of the amino acid in a true peptide, considering different positions of the residue in the peptide chain (peptidyl fragment, NH(+)(3)-terminus or COO(-)-terminus). Cis-trans isomerism in the amide bonds is taken into account by construction of rotamer libraries for different isomers. Water solvation is included through the GB/SA model. New amino acid residues can easily be added to the libraries, making it possible to generate conformations of peptidomimetics.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Conformational analysis of a highly potent dicyclic gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist by nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics.

Structural analysis of constrained (monocyclic) analogues of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) has led to the development of a model for the receptor-bound conformation of GnRH and to the design of highly potent, dicyclic GnRH antagonists. This is one of the first cases where a dicyclic backbone has been introduced into analogues of a linear peptide hormone with retention of high biological activity. Here we present a conformational analysis of dicyclo(4-10,5-8)[Ac-D-2Nal1-D-pClPhe2-D-Trp3-Asp4+ ++-Glu5-D-Arg6-Leu7-Lys8- Pro9-Dpr10]-NH2 (I), using two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation. Compound I inhibits ovulation in the rat at a dose of 5-10 micrograms (Rivier et al. In Peptides: Chemistry, Structure ad Biology; Rivier, J. E., Marshall, G. R., Eds.; ESCOM: Leiden, The Netherlands, 1990; pp 33-37). The backbone conformation of the 4-10 cycle in this dicyclic compound is very similar to that found previously for a parent monocyclic (4-10) GnRH antagonist (Rizo et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 2852-2859; ibid. 2860-2871), which gives strong support to the hypothesis that GnRH adopts a similar conformation upon binding to its receptor. In this conformation, residues 5-8 form a "beta-hairpin-like" structure that includes two transannular hydrogen bonds and a Type II' beta turn around residues D-Arg6-Leu7. The "tail" of the molecule formed by residues 1-3 is somewhat structured but does not populate a single major conformation. However, the orientation of the tail on the same side of the 4-10 cycle as the 5-8 bridge favors interactions between this bridge and the tail residues. These observations correlate with results obtained previously for the parent monocyclic (4-10) antagonist, and have led to the design of a series of new dicyclic GnRH antagonists with bridges between the tail residues and residues 5 or 8.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The conformational analysis of oligosaccharides by H-NMR and HSEA calculation.

The application of 1H-nuclear Overhauser enhancement, 1H-spin-lattice-relaxation-time and 1H-chemical shift measurements for the assessment of the conformational preferences of oligosaccharides are briefly reviewed. It is demonstrated that additivity rules, for the correlation of the chemical shifts of similar hydrogen atoms in different oligosaccharides, can be useful in the conformational analysis of oligosaccharides when the differential chemical shifts are greater than 0.1 ppm. These often can be attributed to specific interunit deshielding of a hydrogen atom by an oxygen atom with which it is in strong nonbonded interaction. HSEA calculations are used to demonstrate that differential chemical shifts of less than 0.1 ppm can have origins that are not significant to the overall conformational preferences of the oligosaccharides which are being compared. Both shielding and deshielding effects can arise from a change in the orientation of a substituent group as the result of the introduction of a sugar on a neighboring unit. It is demonstrated that substituent groups, such as hydroxymethyl and acetamido groups, on occasions, should be treated in HSEA calculations as freely rotating about their linkage to a pyranose ring.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Configurational and conformational analysis of chiral molecules using IR and VCD spectroscopies: spiropentylcarboxylic acid methyl ester and spiropentyl acetate.

The chiral monosubstituted derivatives of spiropentane, spiropentylcarboxylic acid methyl ester, 1, and spiropentyl acetate, 2, have been synthesized in optically active form. Configurational and conformational analysis of 1 and 2 has been carried out using infrared (IR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopies. Analysis of the experimental IR and VCD spectra has been carried out using ab initio density functional theory (DFT). For both 1 and 2, DFT predicts two populated conformations. Comparison to experiment of the conformationally averaged IR and VCD spectra of 1 and 2, predicted using DFT, provides unequivocal evidence of the predicted conformations and yields the absolute configurations R(-)/S(+) for 1 and R(+)/S(-) for 2. These absolute configurations are consistent with the R(-)/S(+) absolute configuration of spiropentylcarboxylic acid, assigned previously via X-ray crystallography of its alpha-phenylethylammonium salt.

Journal Article↗

Conformational analysis of biantennary glycans and molecular modeling of their complexes with lentil lectin.

Some mannose-binding legume lectins show higher affinity for fucosylated glycans than for glycans without fucose. These lectins possess a secondary binding site. Owing to the possibility of additional fucose binding, oligosaccharides adopt different conformations depending on whether they contain fucose or not. To study these conformational differences, complexes of fucosylated and unfucosylated glycans with Lens culinaris lectin have been modeled. Starting points were X-ray structures of lentil lectin and complexes of the homologous Lathyrus ochrus lectin. The SYBYL molecular modeling package with the TRIPOS force field was used. Two different models were built, displaying in both a network of hydrogen bonds between the saccharide and the binding site. Furthermore, to compare the free and bound ligand, conformational analysis in the free state has been performed. A complete analysis of all possible disaccharide fragments has been performed using the MM3 force field. A CICADA analysis employing the same force field was carried out to study the complete oligosaccharide. Low-energy conformers found by CICADA were clustered in conformational families and analyzed in terms of flexibility and rotational barriers. All values of glycosidic torsion angles are in the range as calculated by MM3 for the disaccharides.

Binding Sites↗

Novel 6-azapyrimidine-2'-deoxy-4'-thionucleosides: synthesis, biological evaluation and conformational analysis.

We report the synthesis of novel 1-(2'-deoxy-4'-thio-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-(6-azapyrimidine) nucleosides and the subsequent preparation of a series of N3-substituted analogues. All the novel compounds were evaluated against a range of viruses, however they lacked any measurable activity. The lack of anti-herpetic activity may be a result of the parent nucleoside having poor affinity for herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase. Conformational analysis of the parent nucleoside showed a twist (3T2) sugar conformation commonly displayed by 2'-deoxy-4'-thionucleosides and the anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 agents zidovudine and 3'-fluoro-ddT.

Animals↗

Thermodynamic conformational analysis and structural stability of the nicotinic analgesic ABT-594.

This work presents a theoretical study of the nicotinic analgesic ABT-594. We describe its neutral (precursor) and protonated (active) forms in vacuum and aqueous solution at the MP2/cc-pVDZ level. A conformational analysis is performed on the two torsional angles describing the orientation of the azetidinyl group and the azetidinylmethoxy moiety. To account for entropic effects, a thermostatistical study of conformational populations at physiological temperature is carried out. In the neutral form, conformer I is found as the most populated in vacuum and solution. Here, the nitrogen of the azetidinyl group is far from the electron pairs of the oxygen and the pyridinic nitrogen. In the protonated form, conformer VIII is the most stable in vacuum and solution. Now, the additional proton on the azetidinyl group is oriented toward the electron lone pairs of oxygen. The structural stability of conformers I and VIII is considered through the atoms in molecules theory. The conformer I, in the neutral forms, is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond. The preference of conformer VIII in the protonated forms is explained by the higher strength of its intramolecular hydrogen bond over the cation-pi interaction found in conformer I. The effect of the interaction energy with the receptor on the conformational preferences of protonated ABT-594 is simulated. The result is that the population of conformers associated to the rotation of the azetidinyl group increases. So, the molecule can easily adopt the optimal internitrogen separation for interaction with the receptor.

Analgesics↗

Conformational analysis of the exopolysaccharide from Burkholderia caribensis strain MWAP71: impact on the interaction with soils.

The strain MWAP71 of Burkholderia caribensis produces a branched charged exopolysaccharide (EPS) that is responsible for soil aggregation. Understanding the conformational properties of the isolated polysaccharide is a prerequisite for proper investigation of the interactions between the polysaccharide and the soil at the atomic level. The aim of this study is first to have an overall view of the flexibility of the backbone and then to ascertain the role played by side groups in the conformational properties of the main chain. Conformational analysis of each oligomeric segment of the polysaccharide has been performed by means of adiabatic mapping of the backbone glycosidic torsion angles using the MM3(92) force field. Substitution by an acetyl group or by a Kdo unit has only a slight effect on the potential energy surfaces of the fragment model compounds. Calculated partition functions, however, indicate that the overall flexibility is slightly larger for the substituted oligomers than for the unsubstituted ones. Prediction of selected average interproton distances from the AB and BC potential energy surfaces allows comparison between modeling results and NMR measurements performed on the ABC fragment. Agreement between the experimental and the predicted data suggests that the established surfaces correctly reflect the observed conformational behavior of such fragments and validate the modeling protocol. The above results have been extended to regular and disordered long polymer chains, differing in Kdo content. It is found that Kdo affects the helical conformations of the polysaccharide. The number of stable helices is considerably larger with Kdo than without Kdo. On the contrary, Kdo has only a moderate effect on unperturbed disordered conformations of the polysaccharide. Predicted persistence length of 70 A suggests that the polymer is semirigid with moderate extension. A further validation of the modeling results is obtained by the good concordance between this predicted value and the experimental one of 95 A, measured from light scattering and viscosity experiments. The results lead to an understanding of the interactions of this polysaccharide with soils.

Burkholderia↗

Conformational analysis of the HIV-1 virus reverse transcriptase nonnucleoside inhibitors: TIBO and nevirapine.

TIBO (Tetrahydro-imidazo[4,5,1-jk][1,4]-benzodiazepin-2-one) and nevirapine (11-cyclopropyl-5,11-dihydro-4-methyl-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2',3'-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one) are models for two classes of nonnucleoside inhibitors of the HIV-1 virus reverse transcriptase (NNRTI). This work presents the parameterization of compounds belonging to these two classes in the Cornell et al. force field through ab initio and semiempirical methods. The new parameters were used in the conformational analysis for TIBO R82913, TIBO R79882, and nevirapine. Various conformational search protocols were tested and the pseudosystematic method SUMM led to the best results. A better understanding of the distribution of conformers was obtained through clustering techniques in the data reduction stages. It was possible to reproduce various experimental data such as the crystallographic structures of the isolated or reverse transcriptase-complexed (RT) molecules. The proton-proton coupling constants (\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$\,J^{3}_{\mathrm{HH}}$\end{document}) obtained for TIBO through NMR were also reproduced. Cremer and Pople puckering parameters enabled a precise description of both the conformation of the seven-membered rings and the relative position of the substituents on them. These parameters also demonstrated the efficiency and precision of the two-stage clustering method. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 1817-1829, 2001

Journal Article↗

An improved algorithm for analytical gradient evaluation in resolution-of-the-identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory: application to alanine tetrapeptide conformational analysis.

We present a new algorithm for analytical gradient evaluation in resolution-of-the-identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (RI-MP2) and thoroughly assess its computational performance and chemical accuracy. This algorithm addresses the potential I/O bottlenecks associated with disk-based storage and access of the RI-MP2 t-amplitudes by utilizing a semi-direct batching approach and yields computational speed-ups of approximately 2-3 over the best conventional MP2 analytical gradient algorithms. In addition, we attempt to provide a straightforward guide to performing reliable and cost-efficient geometry optimizations at the RI-MP2 level of theory. By computing relative atomization energies for the G3/99 set and optimizing a test set of 136 equilibrium molecular structures, we demonstrate that satisfactory relative accuracy and significant computational savings can be obtained using Pople-style atomic orbital basis sets with the existing auxiliary basis expansions for RI-MP2 computations. We also show that RI-MP2 geometry optimizations reproduce molecular equilibrium structures with no significant deviations (>0.1 pm) from the predictions of conventional MP2 theory. As a chemical application, we computed the extended-globular conformational energy gap in alanine tetrapeptide at the extrapolated RI-MP2/cc-pV(TQ)Z level as 2.884, 4.414, and 4.994 kcal/mol for structures optimized using the HF, DFT (B3LYP), and RI-MP2 methodologies and the cc-pVTZ basis set, respectively. These marked energetic discrepancies originate from differential intramolecular hydrogen bonding present in the globular conformation optimized at these levels of theory and clearly demonstrate the importance of long-range correlation effects in polypeptide conformational analysis.

Alanine↗

Synthesis and conformational analysis of fructose-derived scaffolds: molecular diversity from a single molecule.

Bi- and tricyclic compounds were synthesized starting from fructose. The different hydroxyl groups present in fructose were exploited in the formation of a number of conformationally constrained sugar-based scaffolds, including azido acids. Introduction of an azido group and carboxy terminus into different bicyclic iodo ethers, allowed the synthesis of different conformationally constrained azido acids. Conformational analysis of compounds 10, 11, 17, and 20 by NMR experiments assisted by molecular mechanics, allowed the determination of the distances between the relevant functional groups, that is the azido and carboxy functionalities.

Fructose↗