Spectroscopic Analysis of Resin-Bound Peptides: Glutathione and FK-13

Abstract

High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy is used to study solid samples that are normally difficult to analyze due to broadening of peaks. Solid-phase peptide synthesis can bind peptides to an insoluble resin that can be analyzed with HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. A combination of HRMAS NMR and IRMPD spectroscopy, along with computational chemistry, was applied to analyze and evaluate the structure of resin-bound glutathione. Two-dimensional 1H-1H NMR experiments such as COSY, TOCSY, and ROESY were employed to assign and predict the structure of the resin-bound peptide. IRMPD results were used along with calculated protonated structures and spectra to evaluate the conformation of the peptide. The experimental spectrum was compared to the spectra and structures of the protonated species to hypothesize the most favoured structure. Molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics and DFT calculations were implemented to collect structures that best resembled the free and resin-bound glutathione peptide. The results from these methods were compared to determine the structure that is most probable for the glutathione peptide. A semi-folded conformation is the structure the resin-bound GSH most preferred as concluded from the NMR and DFT results. The IRMPD results were analyzed as separate from the resin-bound experiments and suggested protonated GSH had a folded conformation. FK-13 was another peptide synthesized using the solid-phase peptide synthesis technique. The peptide was synthesized using a modified technique different from conventional methodology used in the past. The peptide was also analyzed using COSY, TOCSY, and ROESY to confirm that the synthesis was done correctly and hypothesize a structure. The low substitution of the peptide on the resin gave rise to minimal NOE interactions, but there was some evidence suggesting that the synthesis was successful and the peptide adopted a cyclic conformation. These initial results are useful for future analyses and conformational studies of this resin-bound peptide. Further work needs to be done for both peptides to explore the structures in more detail. The explicit model of solvation should be used to explore the effect of solvent molecules on the conformation of the glutathione peptide as opposed to the implicit model that PCM provides. FK-13 could be synthesized better so that a higher substitution is achieved and better NMR results are obtained. The IRMPD results obtained by the McMahon group can then be compared to the NMR results and computational calculations can be performed to obtain realistic structures of the peptide.