Effect of D-amino acid substitutions on Ni(II)-assisted peptide bond hydrolysis

Previously we demonstrated the sequence-specific hydrolysis of the R1-(Ser/Thr)-peptide bond in Ni(II) complexes of peptides with a general R1-(Ser/Thr)-Xaa-His-Zaa-R2 sequence (R1 and R2 being any sequences) (Kopera, E.; Krezel, A.; Protas, A. M.; Belczyk, A.; Bonna, A.; Wyslouch-Cieszynska, A.; Poznanski, J.; Bal, W. Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49, 6636). In order to refine our understanding of the mechanism of this reaction and to find ways to accelerate it, we undertook a systematic study of effects of d-amino acid substitutions in the template Ac-Gly-Ala-Ser-Arg-His-Trp-Lys-Phe-Leu-NH2 peptide on the hydrolysis rate constants. We found that all stereochemical alterations made around the Ni(II) chelate plane resulted in the decrease of the reaction rate. However, the Ni(II) coordination, a prerequisite to the reaction, was not compromised by these substitutions. We demonstrated that the reaction is only possible when either the side chain of the crucial Ser (or Thr) residue is on the same part of the chelate plane as the next residue in the sequence (Arg), or the side chain of the residue following His (Trp) resides on the opposite side of the plane. The rate of reaction is the fastest when both these conditions are fulfilled. Another novel effect is the strong dependence of the rate of the acyl shift step on the character of the leaving group.