Effects of Conformational Constraint on Peptide Solubility Limits. 2022

Riley J Workman, and Suresh Gorle, and B Montgomery Pettitt
Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0304, United States.

Liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins preferentially involves intrinsically disordered proteins or disordered regions. Understanding the solution chemistry of these phase separations is key to learning how to quantify and manipulate systems that involve such processes. Here, we investigate the effect of cyclization on the liquid-liquid phase separation of short polyglycine peptides. We simulated separate aqueous systems of supersaturated cyclic and linear GGGGG and observed spontaneous liquid-liquid phase separation in each of the solutions. The cyclic GGGGG phase separates less robustly than linear GGGGG and has a higher aqueous solubility, even though linear GGGGG has a more favorable single molecule solvation free energy. The versatile and abundant interpeptide contacts formed by the linear GGGGG stabilize the condensed droplet phase, driving the phase separation in this system. In particular, we find that van der Waals close contact interactions are enriched in the droplet phase as opposed to electrostatic interactions. An analysis of the change in backbone conformational entropy that accompanies the phase transition revealed that cyclic peptides lose significantly less entropy in this process as expected. However, we find that the enhanced interaction enthalpy of linear GGGGG in the droplet phase is enough to compensate for a larger decrease in conformational entropy.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010455 Peptides Members of the class of compounds composed of AMINO ACIDS joined together by peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids into linear, branched or cyclical structures. OLIGOPEPTIDES are composed of approximately 2-12 amino acids. Polypeptides are composed of approximately 13 or more amino acids. PROTEINS are considered to be larger versions of peptides that can form into complex structures such as ENZYMES and RECEPTORS. Peptide,Polypeptide,Polypeptides
D012995 Solubility The ability of a substance to be dissolved, i.e. to form a solution with another substance. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Solubilities
D013816 Thermodynamics A rigorously mathematical analysis of energy relationships (heat, work, temperature, and equilibrium). It describes systems whose states are determined by thermal parameters, such as temperature, in addition to mechanical and electromagnetic parameters. (From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 12th ed) Thermodynamic
D014867 Water A clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that is essential for most animal and plant life and is an excellent solvent for many substances. The chemical formula is hydrogen oxide (H2O). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Hydrogen Oxide
D019277 Entropy The measure of that part of the heat or energy of a system which is not available to perform work. Entropy increases in all natural (spontaneous and irreversible) processes. (From Dorland, 28th ed) Entropies
D064267 Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Functional proteins that do not have unique, stable, folded, three-dimensional native structures or that possess non-ordered regions under physiological conditions. They are characterized by extraordinary structural flexibility and plasticity, which enable them to adopt different conformations in response to different stimuli or different interactions. Intrinsically Disordered Protein,Natively Unfolded Protein,Unstructured Protein,Natively Unfolded Proteins,Unstructured Proteins,Disordered Protein, Intrinsically,Protein, Intrinsically Disordered,Protein, Natively Unfolded,Protein, Unstructured,Unfolded Protein, Natively

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