Collagen model peptides: Sequence dependence of triple-helix stability

The triple helix is a specialized protein motif, found in all collagens as well as in noncollagenous proteins involved in host defense. Peptides will adopt a triple-helical conformation if the sequence contains its characteristic features of Gly as every third residue and a high content of Pro and Hyp residues. Such model peptides have proved amenable to structural studies by x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, suitable for thermodynamic and kinetic analysis, and a valuable tool in characterizing the binding activities of the collagen triple helix. A systematic approach to understanding the amino acid sequence dependence of the collagen triple helix has been initiated, based on a set of host-guest peptides of the form, (Gly-Pro-Hyp)(3)-Gly-X-Y-(Gly-Pro-Hyp)(4). Comparison of their thermal stabilities has led to a propensity scale for the X and Y positions, and the additivity of contributions of individual residues is now under investigation. The local and global stability of the collagen triple helix is normally modulated by the residues in the X and Y positions, with every third position occupied by Gly in fibril-forming collagens. However, in collagen diseases, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, a single Gly may be substituted by another residue. Host-guest studies where the Gly is replaced by various amino acids suggest that the identity of the residue in the Gly position affects the degree of destabilization and the clinical severity of the disease.