Thermodynamic Scale of β-Amino Acid Residue Propensities for an α-Helix-like Conformation

A thiol-thioester exchange system has been used to measure the propensities of diverse β-amino acid residues to participate in an α-helix-like conformation. These measurements depend on formation of a parallel coiled-coil tertiary structure when two peptide segments become linked by thioester formation. One peptide segment contains a "guest" site that accommodates diverse β residues and is distal to the coiled-coil interface. We find that helix propensity is influenced by side chain placement within the β residue [β³ (side chain adjacent to nitrogen) slightly favored relative to β² (side chain adjacent to carbonyl)]. The previously recognized helix stabilization resulting from five-membered ring incorporation is quantified. These results are significant because so few quantitative thermodynamic measurements have been reported for α/β-peptide folding.