Peptide bond hydrogen bonding stabilization

Fig. 3. (a) Chemical stmcture of a synthetic cycHc peptide composed of an alternating sequence of D- and L-amino acids. The side chains of the amino acids have been chosen such that the peripheral functional groups of the dat rings are hydrophobic and allow insertion into Hpid bilayers, (b) Proposed stmcture of a self-assembled transmembrane pore comprised of hydrogen bonded cycHc peptides. The channel is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the peptide backbones of the individual molecules. These synthetic pores have been demonstrated to form ion channels in Hpid bilayers (71). 

Primary structures are stabilized by covalent peptide bonds. Higher orders of structure are stabilized by weak forces—multiple hydrogen bonds, salt (electrostatic) bonds, and association of hydrophobic R groups. 

Figure 2.7 (a) The P-bend or p-turn is often found between two stretches of antiparallel p-strands. (b) It is stabilized in part by hydrogen bonding between the C=0 bond and the NH groups of the peptide bonds at the neck of the turn... 

Figure 11.2 The secondary structure of proteins. The simplest spatial arrangement of amino acids in a polypeptide chain is as a fully extended chain (a) which has a regular backbone structure due to the bond angles involved and from which the additional atoms, H and O, and the amino acid residues, R, project at varying angles. The helical form (b) is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the —NH group of one peptide bond and the —CO group of another peptide bond. The amino acid residues project from the helix rather than internally into the helix.

Cyclosporin A contains II amino acids, joined in a cyclic strncture by peptide bonds. The structure is also stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Only two of the amino acids, i.e. alanine and valine, are typical of proteins. The compound contains several A-methylated amino acid residues, together with the even less common L-a-aminobutyric acid and an Ai-methylated butenylmethylthreonine. There is one o-amino acid, i.e. o-alanine, and the assembly of the polypeptide chain is known to start from this residue. Many of the other natural cyclosporin structures differ only with respect to a single amino acid (the a-aminobutyric acid residue) or the number of amino acids that have the extra Ai-methyl group. 

Correct answer = C. p-Bends often contain pro line, which provides a kink. The a-helix differs from the p-sheet in that it always involves the coiling of a single polypeptide chain. The P-sheet occurs in both parallel and antiparallel forms. Motifs are elements of tertiary structure. The a-helix is stabilized primarily by hydrogen bonds between the -C=0 and -NH- groups of peptide bonds. 

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