Structural function of C-terminal amidation of endomorphin

To investigate the structural function of the C-terminal amide group of endomorphin-2 (EM2, H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2), an endogenous mu-opioid receptor ligand, the solution conformations of EM2 and its C-terminal free acid (EM2OH, H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-OH) in TFE (trifluoroethanol), water (pH 2.7 and 5.2), and aqueous DPC (dodecylphosphocholine) micelles (pH 3.5 and 5.2) were investigated by the combination of 2D H-1-NMR measurement and molecular modelling calculation. Both peptides were in equilibrium between the cis and trans rotamers around the Tyr-Pro w bond with population ratios of 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 in dimethyl sulfoxide, TFE and water, whereas they predominantly took the trans rotamer in DPC micelle, except in EM2OH at pH 5.2, which had a trans/cis rotamer ratio of 2 : 1. Fifty possible 3D conformers were generated for each peptide, taking different electronic states depending on the type of solvent and pH (neutral and monocationic forms for EM2, and zwitterionic and monocation forms for EM2OH) by the dynamical simulated annealing method, under the proton-proton distance constraints derived from the ROE cross-peak intensities. These conformers were then roughly classified into four groups of two open [reverse S (rS)- and numerical 7 (n7)-type] and two folded (F1- and F2-type) conformers according to the conformational pattern of the backbone structure. Most EM2 conformers in neutral (in TFE) and monocationic (in water and DPC micelles) forms adopted the open structure (mixture of major rS-type and minor n7-type conformers) despite the trans/cis rotamer form. On the other hand, the zwitterionic EM2OH in TFE, water and DPC micelles showed an increased population of F1- and F2-type folded conformers, the population of which varied depending on their electronic state and pH. Most of these folded conformers took an F1-type structure similar to that stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond of (Tyr1)NH3+...COO-(Phe4), observed in its crystal structure. These results show that the substitution of a carboxyl group for the C-terminal amide group makes the peptide structure more flexible and leads to the ensemble of folded and open conformers. The conformational requirement of EM2 for binding to the mu-opioid receptor and the structural function of the C-terminal amide group are discussed on the basis of the present conformational features of EM2 and EM2OH and a possible model for binding to the mu-opioid receptor, constructed from the template structure of rhodopsin.