SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES ON ELASTIN-LIKE SYNTHETIC POLYPEPTIDES

Spectroscopic studies on synthetic polypeptides containing the unit X-G-G (X = V or L) are reported. The sequences, constituting either fragments or model of elastin, were shown to adopt type II β-turns together with an ensemble of unordered conformations. Furthermore, it was found that the stability of the β-turns was depending on the nature of the X residue, on the hydration of the chain and, in the case of the sequence G-V-G-G-L, was decreasing by increasing the length of the chain. © 1990.