Mastoparan-X, a tetradecapeptide from wasp venom, has been proposed to cause secretion from various kinds of cells by the direct activation of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) that couple to phospholipase C. The mechanism of the activation has been shown to be very similar to that of G-protein-coupled receptors in vitro, and the interaction with membranes seems to be very important for the activation of G proteins that are membrane-bound [Higashijima, T., Uzu, S., Nakajima, T., & Ross, E. M. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6491-6494]. We report here the precise vesicle-bound conformation of mastoparan-X in the presence of perdeuterated phospholipid vesicles, determined by two-dimensional 1H-NMR analyses of transferred nuclear Overhauser effects, combined with distance geometry and molecular dynamics calculations. Of 14 amino acid residues, the C-terminal 12 residues take an alpha-helical conformation upon binding to the phospholipid bilayer. The overall structure of the alpha-helix is amphiphilic, with three lysine side chains located on one side and with hydrophobic side chains on the other side. This conformation of mastoparan-X was maintained both in the gel and in the liquid-crystalline phases of the membranes. The conformation described herein will provide a useful basis for understanding conformation-activity relationships of mastoparan analogs as activators of G proteins. These studies will help to design novel potent analogs for the regulation of G proteins and to analyze receptor-G-protein interactions.

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The conformational change upon binding with phospholipid membrane has been studied of mastoparan from wasp venom, a tetradecapeptide causing the degranulation of mast cells. The 270-MHz 'H-NMR spectra and CD spectra indicate that the mastoparan molecule takes the w-helical conformation in methanol solution, but a much less ordered form in aqueous solution. On binding with phospholipid membrane, the m-helical conformation is formed even in aqueous medium. Such a conformational change is primarily due to the interaction between the aliphatic side chains of mastoparan and the hydrophobic interior of phospholipid membrane, in contrast to the case of melittin from bee venom. Circuiar dichroism Co~formational change Peptide-phospho~ipid interaction 'H-NMR ~astoparan Venom peptide