Conformational changes of peptides at solid/liquid interfaces: a Monte Carlo study

Biomacromolecules. 2004 Nov-Dec;5(6):2147-59. doi: 10.1021/bm049808s.

Abstract

Monte Carlo simulations were performed to study the conformational changes of negatively charged model peptides dissolved in water adsorbed onto charged surfaces. 8-, 16-, and 20-residues peptides were used, each of them consisted of repeating diblock units of aspartic acid (ASP, polar amino acid) and isoleucine (ILE, nonpolar amino acid) residues. We found that a water patch was retained at the charged surface, separating the peptide from it. We believed that these water molecules were primarily responsible for giving a particular orientation to the peptide at the surface. Water did play a role to some extent in the structural stability of the 8-residues peptide. However, for higher chain lengths (16-residues and 20-residues), the intrinsic hydrogen-bonding network (or intrinsic structural stability) showed a predominant effect over hydrophobic dehydration for the stability of the peptide at the surface.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Biophysical Phenomena
  • Biophysics
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Models, Statistical
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Static Electricity
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Peptides
  • Water
  • Oxygen