Phosphorylation loops in synthetic peptides of the human neurofilament protein middle-sized subunit

Peptides containing 13 and 39 amino acid residues and serine-side-chain-phosphorylated (P) analogues thereof, corresponding to human neurofilament protein middle-sized subunit (NF-M), have been synthesized in order to localize the phosphorylation site of this protein. The secondary structure of the nonphosphorylated peptides, determined by circular dichroism (CD) measurements, predicted secondary structural calculations and energy conformational calculations, was suggested to be a series of alternating type I (III). beta-turns and 3(10) or alpha-helices. By contrast, the phosphorylated peptides exhibit a unique conformation, probably due to salt bridges between the phosphoserine and the lysine residues. This has provided the first clear evidence that phosphorylation induces conformational changes among these synthetic peptides and presumably, in NF proteins as well. These phosphorylation loops might be the major recognition sites of the neurofilament protein-directed kinases.