Tryptophan peptides

Fluorescence emission lifetime of one tryptophan residue located in five different positions within an 18-residue amphiphatic peptide (Table 7.5) was also analyzed with the rotamers model. These peptides are unstructured in aqueous solution and become stmctured when associated to a lipid. A blue shift in the emission maximum of the Trp residue is observed, indicating that the fluorophore is in contact with a hydrophobic environment when the lipid is bound to the peptides. Only peptide 18D-12 shows an emission maximum located at 354 revealing that in this peptide tryptophan is in contact with aqueous environment. These data are consistent witli the fact that association of lipid with peptide yield an a-helix where the tryptophan residues located on the hydrophobic surface of the a-helix are in the hydrophobic environment provided by the lipid surface, whereas tryptophans located on the hydrophilic face of the helix are directed toward the aqueous phase. Also, the helix axis of the peptides is parallel to the lipid surface (Fig. 7.9). 

FIGURE 14.2 Indole is a typical molecule or side group (of the peptide tryptophan) for excitation energy transfer in proteins. 

Chymotrypsin (Section 27 10) A digestive enzyme that cat alyzes the hydrolysis of proteins Chymotrypsin selectively catalyzes the cleavage of the peptide bond between the car boxyl group of phenylalanine tyrosine or tryptophan and some other ammo acid... 

Pish protein concentrate and soy protein concentrate have been used to prepare a low phenylalanine, high tyrosine peptide for use with phenylketonuria patients (150). The process includes pepsin hydrolysis at pH 1.5 ptonase hydrolysis at pH 6.5 to Hberate aromatic amino acids gel filtration on Sephadex G-15 to remove aromatic amino acids incubation with papain and ethyl esters of L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan, ie, plastein synthesis and ultrafiltration (qv). The plastein has a bland taste and odor and does not contain free amino acids. Yields of 69.3 and 60.9% from PPG and soy protein concentrate, respectively, have been attained. 

The Dim ester was developed for the protection of the carboxyl function during peptide synthesis. It is prepared by transesterification of amino acid methyl esters with 2-(hydroxymethyl)-l,3-dithiane and Al(/-PrO)3 (reflux, 4 h, 75°, 12 torr, 75% yield). It is removed by oxidation [H2O2, (NH4)2Mo04 pH 8, H2O, 60 min, 83% yield]. Since it must be removed by oxidation it is not compatible with.sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine and methionine. Its suitability for other, easily oxidized amino acids (e.g., tyrosine and tryptophan) must also be questioned. It is stable to CF3CO2H and HCl/ether. - ... 

The Src SH2 domain typifies a large number of those characterized to date. The pTyr fits into a pocket on the opposite side of the central sheet to the pY-r3 pocket (Figure 13.27a). All known SH2 domains bind pTyr in essentially the same way, but some have a different pattern of contacts for the residues that follow. For example, in the Grb2 SH2 domain, a tryptophan side chain from the small sheet fills the pY-r3 pocket, and the bound peptide takes a different course, with important interactions to an asparagine at pY-r2. Screens of peptide libraries have detected the importance of this asparagine. The SH2 domain from PFC-yl contacts five mainly hydrophobic residues that follow pTyr. 

Amines, Amino acids, peptides, e g tryptophan, tryptamine, peptides with terminal tryptophan groups... 

Certain amino acids and their derivatives, although not found in proteins, nonetheless are biochemically important. A few of the more notable examples are shown in Figure 4.5. y-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid and is a potent neurotransmitter. Histamine, which is synthesized by decarboxylation of histidine, and serotonin, which is derived from tryptophan, similarly function as neurotransmitters and regulators. /3-Alanine is found in nature in the peptides carnosine and anserine and is a component of pantothenic acid (a vitamin), which is a part of coenzyme A. Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), derived from tyrosine, is an important hormone. Penicillamine is a constituent of the penicillin antibiotics. Ornithine, betaine, homocysteine, and homoserine are important metabolic intermediates. Citrulline is the immediate precursor of arginine. 

Chymotrypsin shows a strong preference for hydrolyzing peptide bonds formed by the carboxyl groups of the aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Flowever, over time chymotrypsin also hydrolyzes amide bonds involving amino acids other than Phe, Tyr, or Trp. Peptide bonds having leucine-donated carboxyls become particularly susceptible. Thus, the specificity... 

The Doc group, introduced with the chloroformate and either DMAP or /-BuOK, is quite acid stable, but can be cleaved with TFMSA-thioanisole-EDT-TFA (10 min, rt) or with / -cresol-HF (1 h, 0°). The Doc group was found to be suitable for tryptophan protection in /-Bu-based peptide synthesis, since no /-butylation of tryptophan was observed during acid deprotection. 

The Hoc group was developed for tryptophan protection to minimize alkylation during BOC-mediated peptide synthesis. It is introduced with the chloroformate (NaOH, CH2CI2, Bu4N HS04 ) and can be cleaved with HF without the need to include thiols in the cleavage mixture. 

Partial hydrolysis of a peptide can be carried out either chemically with aqueous acid or enzymatically. Acidic hydrolysis is unselective and leads to a more or less random mixture of small fragments, but enzymatic hydrolysis is quite specific. The enzyme trypsin, for instance, catalyzes hydrolysis of peptides only at the carboxyl side of the basic amino acids arginine and lysine chymotrypsin cleaves only at the carboxyl side of the aryl-substituted amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. 

Triterpenoid, 1071 tRNA, see Transfer RNA Trypsin, peptide cleavage with, 1033 Tryptophan, pKa of, 52... 

Liu, R. Zhang, P. Gan, T. Cook, J. M. Regiospecific bromination of 3-methylindoles with NBS and its application to the concise synthesis of optically active unusual tryptophans present in marine cyclic peptides. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 7447-7456. 

Membranes offer a format for interaction of an analyte with a stationary phase alternative to the familiar column. For certain kinds of separations, particularly preparative separations involving strong adsorption, the membrane format is extremely useful. A 5 x 4 mm hollow-fiber membrane layered with the protein bovine serum albumin was used for the chiral separation of the amino acid tryptophan, with a separation factor of up to 6.6.62 Diethey-laminoethyl-derivatized membrane disks were used for high-speed ion exchange separations of oligonucleotides.63 Sulfonated membranes were used for peptide separations, and reversed-phase separations of peptides, steroids, and aromatic hydrocarbons were accomplished on C18-derivatized membranes. 

Kostic el al. discovered that Pd11 complexes, when attached to tryptophan residues, can rapidly cleave peptides in acetone solutions to which a stoichiometric amount of water is added, for hydrolysis.436 The indole tautomer in which a hydrogen has moved from the nitrogen to C(3) is named indolenine. Its palladium(II) complexes that are coordinated via the nitrogen atom have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic methods.451 Binuclear dimeric complexes between palladium(II) and indole-3-acetate involve cyclopalladation.452 Bidentate coordination to palladium(II) through the N(l) and the C(2) atoms occurs in binuclear complexes.453 Reactions of palladium(II) complexes with indole-3-acetamide and its derivatives produced new complexes of unusual structure. Various NMR, UV, IR, and mass spectral analyses have revealed bidentate coordination via the indole carbon C(3) and the amide oxygen.437... 

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