Non-helicate Structures

Several other polymetallic structures formed by self-assembly have been reported in the literature. For instance the class of metallacrowns [48] has received increasing attention over the last few years. These inorganic analogues of crown ethers arc self-assembled from simple building blocks and transition metal ions, mainly Cu and Fe (Fig. 9.8). The lanthanide ion, situated in the central cavity, acts as a template in the formation of the heterometallic structure. The first lanthanide-containing stmctures reported were made of a hexanuclear cluster in which the lanthanide ion is surrounded by five transition metals 

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The last criterion (4) is bistability. In the non-helical structure the direction of the polar axis is fixed in the sense that the three vectors, the polar axis Pj, the director n and the smectic normal h form either right or left vector triple. This depends on molecular handedness and cannot be changed. In this sense there is no bistability. On the other hand, the Goldstone mode allows the thresholdless rotation of Pj together with n about h through any angle by an infinitesimally low electric field. So, a number of possible states is infinite. 

The tubes (a, a) and (a, 0) are generated from hexagons with 0 = jt/6 and 0, respectively. These tubes become non-helical and are called, respectively, armchair and zigzag structures. Other condition (0 < 0 < Jt/6) generates the tube (a, b) of helical structures (see Fig. 2). 

Fig. 4. Helical structure of collagen, typical amino acid sequence within a collagen strand, and exchangeable versus non-exchangeable hydrogen atoms in an individual leucine molecule (Gly - glycine. Pro - Proline, Leu - leucine. Hyp - hydroxyproline.

The well-defined helical structure associated with appropriately substituted peptoid oligomers (Section 1.6) can be employed to fashion compounds that closely mimic the stracture and function of certain bioactive peptides. There are many examples of small helical peptides (<100 residues) whose mimicry by non-natural ohgomers could potentially yield valuable therapeutic and bioactive compounds. This section describes peptoids that have been rationaUy designed as mimics of antibacterial peptides, lung surfactant proteins, and coUagen proteins. Mimics of HIV-Tat protein, although relevant to this discussion, were described previously in this chapter (Sections 1.3.2 and 1.4.1). 

As such, the magainins provide a useful initial target for peptoid-based peptido-mimetic efforts. Since the helical structure and sequence patterning of these peptides seem primarily responsible for their antibacterial activity and specificity, it is conceivable that an appropriately designed, non-peptide helix should be capable of these same activities. As previously described (Section 1.6.2), peptoids have been shown to form remarkably stable hehces, with physical characterishcs similar to those of peptide polyprohne type-I hehces (e.g. cis-amide bonds, three residues per helical turn, and 6A pitch). A faciaUy amphipathic peptoid helix design, based on the magainin structural motif, would therefore incorporate cationic residues, hydrophobic aromatic residues, and hydrophobic aliphathic residues with threefold sequence periodicity. 

In summary, these recently obtained results demonstrate that certain amphi-pathic peptoid sequences designed to mimic both the helical structure and approximate length of magainin helices are also capable of selective and biomimetic antibacterial activity. These antibacterial peptoids are helical in both aqueous buffer and in the presence of lipid vesicles. Ineffective (non-antibacterial) peptoids exhibit weak, random coil-like CD, with no spectral intensification in the presence of lipid vesicles. Selective peptoids exhibit stronger CD signals in bacterial-mimetic vesicles than in mammalian-mimetic vesicles. Non-selective peptoids exhibit intensely helical CD in both types of vesicles. 

Two-dimensional planar interpenetrating networks have been formed using the spacer ligand 2,2 -bis-l,6-naphthyridine with a zinc salt.274 Helicate structures have been synthesized which rely heavily on non-covalent interactions in the metal-assisted self-assembly process in solution.275... 

The case of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) presents some differences with respect to those just discussed. While both sPP and PET adopt in their mesophases disordered, extended, essentially non-helical conformations, iPP is characterized by a unique, relatively well ordered, stable chain structure with three-fold helical symmetry [18,19,36]. More accurately we can state that an iPP chain segment can exist in the mesophase either as a left handed or as the enantiomeric right-handed three-fold helix. The two are isoener-getic and will be able to interconvert only through a rather complex, cooperative process. From a morphological point of view Geil has reported that thin films of mesomorphic iPP quenched from the melt to 0 °C consist of... 

The non-cyclic ethers E-2 (Figure 10.26), with two pyrenes linked at both ends of the chain, show strong intramolecular excimer formation. Addition of alkaline earth metal ions leads to an increase in monomer emission at the expense of the excimer band. The helical structure of the 1 1 complexes is supported by NMR spectra. Thanks to the pseudocyclic structure, the stability constants of the complexes with Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ in acetonitrile are quite high (106-107 for n — 5), but the selectivity is poor as a consequence of the flexibility of the oxyethylene chain. 

The reference 28 authors continue to detail experimental observations that place voltage sensor helices in positions within the membrane. Miller and coworkers conducted site-directed mutagenesis for all residues of helices Sl-S3. ° In these experiments, tryptophan (trp) residues were substituted for each amino acid in turn to determine which residues would be trp-tolerant. These experiments confirmed a-helical conformations for SI and S2 and showed that K+ channel function was altered when trp residues were placed in some (labeled non-trp-tolerant), but not all, positions. The same treatment for helix S3 yielded complex results. At S3 s N-terminal end the distribution of trp-tolerant positions were consistent with an a-helical structure, however, this was not the case at S3 s C-terminal end. Other tests indicated that S3 might be helical for its entire length and that the N-terminal end interfaces with both lipid and protein while the C-terminal end interfaces with water. Comparisons of trp-tolerant or trp-intolerant residues over several different Kv channel... 

Polymers invariably form helical structures, and the helix symmetry is denoted by u, indicating that there are u repeat units in V turns of the helix. The helix pitch is denoted by P and the molecular repeat distance is c = vP. X-ray diffraction patterns from non-crystalline specimens contain diffracted intensities restricted to layer lines that are spaced by 1/c. On a diffraction pattern from a polycrystalline specimen, diffraction signals, or Bragg reflections, occur only at discrete positions on the layer lines, the positions being related to the lateral dimensions of the unit cell of the crystal. The meridian (vertical axis) of the diffraction pattern is devoid of diffracted intensity unless the layer line number J, is a multiple of u, so that u can be determined straightforwardly. The diffracted intensities can be calculated using standard expressions (2), for model structures (i.e. given the atomic coordinates). 

Small ACTH fragments related to ACTH-(4-10) have also been investigated for the presence of ordered structure. CD of ACTH--(5-10) in TFE showed a random structure (50) as was found with H-NMR for fragment 4-10 (51). The addition of anionic or cationic surfactants to an aqueous solution of ACTH-(4-11) dit not promote any a-helix or 3-form in this peptide (CD experiments S2). When ACTH-(1-14) and 1-10 were measured by CD and NMR respectively, indications for a helical or ordered structure were found (90, ). Thus it seems that the addition of the non-helix "prone" fragment 1-3 or 1-4 can promote the formation of a helical structure in the adjacent sequence. Arguments in favour of this come from the theoretical work of Argos and Palau (53) on amino acid distribution in protein secondary structures. They found that Ser and Thr frequently occur at the N-terminal helical position (cf. Ser in ACTH) to provide stability the position adjacent to the helical C-terminus is often occupied by Gly or Pro (adjacent toTrp in ACTH we have Gly ) acidic amino acid residues are frequently found at the helix N-terminus (cf. Glu in ACTH) and/or basic residues at the C-terminus (cf. Arg ). 

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