In the absence of specific interactions, the relative attenuation of protein NMR signals due to added stable free radicals such as TEMPOL should reflect the solvent accessibility of the molecular surface. The quantitative correlation between observed attenuation and surface accessibility was investigated with a model system, i.e., the small protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. A detailed discussion is presented on the reliability and limits of the approach, and guidelines are provided for data acquisition, treatment, and interpretation. The NMR-derived accessibilities are compared with those obtained from x-ray diffraction and molecular dynamics data. Although the time-averaged accessibilities from molecular dynamics are ideally suited to fit the NMR data, better agreement was observed between the paramagnetic attenuations of the fingerprint cross-peaks of homonuclear proton spectra and the total NH and H alpha accessibilities calculated from x-ray coordinates, than from time-averaged molecular dynamics simulations. In addition, the solvent perturbation response appears to be a promising approach for detecting the thermal conformational evolution of secondary structure elements in proteins.

The recently proposed WHIM (Weighted Holistic Invariant Molecular) approach [Todeschini, R., Lasagni, M. and Marengo, E., J. Chemometrics, 8 (1994) 263] has been applied to molecular surfaces to derive new 3D theoretical descriptors, called MS-WHIM. To test their reliability, a 3D QSAR study has been performed on a series of steroids, comparing the MS-WHIM description to both the original WHIM indices and CoMFA fields. The analysis of the statistical models obtained shows that MS-WHIM descriptors provide meaningful quantitative structure-activity correlations. Thus, the results obtained agree well with those achieved using CoMFA fields. The concise number of indices, the ease of their calculation and their invariance to the coordinate system make MS-WHIM an attractive tool for 3D QSAR studies.

Tuftsin, a natural linear tetrapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) of potential antitumor activity, has been studied in DMSO-d6 solution by 2D NMR spectroscopy. 1H and 13C spectra show the presence of two families of conformations characterized by a trans or cis Lys-Pro bond, respectively. The family of conformers containing the cis peptide bond is a mixture of extended structures as expected for a short linear peptide. On the contrary, the trans isomer appears to be a rigid, folded conformer, as indicated by crucial NOEs and by the exceptionally low temperature coefficient of Arg NH. Analysis of the solution data by means of energy calculations leads to a unique structure, characterized by a Lys-Pro inverse gamma-turn.

We describe a new clustering program, SONHICA (Simple Optimized Non‐HIerarchical Cluster Analysis), developed to analyze large data sets of molecular conformations. Unlike traditional clustering methods, SONHICA does not make use of an overall index, like a distance, to evaluate similarity between objects. Each descriptor variable is compared individually on the basis of a preset threshold value. This assures high control and sensitivity over the input variables. In addition, periodic and nonperiodic descriptors, such as dihedral angles and interatomic distances, can easily be used together. SONHICA generates clusters with the highest possible density and all pairs of objects within a cluster are similar. These features make SONHICA particularly suitable for the analysis of data sets which tend to form globular clusters. This method was applied to the analysis of a modified linear tetrapeptide, ITF1697, under investigation for its anti‐ischemic properties, and a cyclic pentapeptide, BQ123, a potent antagonist of endothelin A. On the basis of the results presented here, SONHICA appears to be an interesting new tool in the field of the clustering methods applied to the analysis of molecular conformations. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18: 1295–1311, 1997

The use of soluble spin labels to filter out the cross peaks of outer proton nuclei in 2D NMR spectra has been proposed as a general method to obtain structural information for complex molecules. Here the paramagnetic effects observed on backbone protons of an unfolded 27 amino acid peptide are discussed. The lack of any differential intensity change of the NH-Ha cross-peaks in TOCSY spectra is suggested as an additional general criterion for the identification of unfolded structures. Paper 3102232C