Optical spectroscopic investigations of model beta-sheet hairpins in aqueous solution

In this contribution we report optical spectroscopic data on a series of designed beta hairpins previously shown by NMR to contain a substantial population of beta-sheet structure. These models contain a designed hydrophobic cluster and a (D)Pro-Gly sequence to promote formation of a turn geometry. FTIR, electronic and vibrational CD (ECD and VCD) spectra for these small peptides are comparable to expected bandshapes for peptides of high beta-sheet content. The (D)Pro-Gly sequence provides a better turn motif than Asn-Gly as measured by its beta-sheet spectral characteristics. IR and VCD spectra are in qualitative agreement with theoretical simulations based on transfer of parameters from ab initio quantum mechanical force field and intensity computations for the turn and strands. These calculations provide assignments for some distinguishing modes in both IR and VCD spectra. Increased sheet structure can be induced in these hairpins by use of mixed solvent conditions. Thermal denaturation studies reveal that these hairpins undergo very broad unfolding transitions. Guanidine hydrochloride unfolding transitions for the selected hairpin models are similarly broad. However, the "end-states" of temperature and chaotropic denaturation are spectroscopically differentiable.