Indication of 3₁₀-Helix Structure in Gas-Phase Neutral Pentaalanine

We investigate the gas-phase structure of the neutral pentaalanine peptide. The IR spectrum in the 340-1820 cm^-1 frequency range is obtained by employing supersonic jet cooling, infrared multiphoton dissociation, and vacuum-ultraviolet action spectroscopy. Comparison with quantum chemical spectral calculations suggests that the molecule assumes multiple stable conformations, mainly of two structure types. In the most stable conformation theoretically found, the N-terminus forms a C5 ring and the backbone resembles that of an 3₁₀-helix with two β-turns. Additionally, the conformational preferences of pentaalanine have been evaluated using Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics, showing that a nonzero simulation time step causes a systematic frequency shift.