KL 4 is a 21-residue peptide employed as a functional mimic of lung surfactant protein B which successfully lowers surface tension in the alveoli. A mechanistic understanding of how KL 4 affects lipid properties has proven elusive as the secondary structure of KL 4 in lipid preparations has not been determined at high resolution. The sequence of KL 4 is based on the C-terminus of SP-B, a naturally occurring helical protein that binds to lipid interfaces. The spacing of the lysine residues in KL 4 precludes the formation of a canonical amphipathic α-helix; qualitative measurements using Raman, CDc and FTIR spectroscopies have given conflicting results as to the secondary structure of the peptide as well as its orientation in the lipid environment. Here, we present a structural model of KL 4 bound to lipid bilayers based on solid state NMR data. Double-quantum correlation experiments employing 13 C-enriched peptides were used to quantitatively determine the backbone torsion angles in KL 4 at several positions. These measurements, coupled with CD experiments, verify the helical nature of KL 4 when bound to lipids, with (Φ, Ψ) angles that differ substantially from common values To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: 352-846-1506. Fax:352-392-3422. E-mail: jrlong@mbi.ufl for α-helices of (-60, -45). The average torsion angles found for KL 4 bound to POPC: POPG lipid vesicles are (-105, -30); this deviation from ideal α-helical structure allows KL 4 to form an amphipathic helix at the lipid interface.Keywords pulmonary surfactant; Surfactant Protein B; KL 4 ; sinapultide; lucinactant; peptide secondary structure; alpha-helix; hydrophobic moment; lipid bilayers; membrane proteins; phosphatidylcholine; phosphatidylglycerol; solid state NMR; dipolar recoupling; magic angle spinning Pulmonary surfactant is a lipid-rich fluid, containing key proteins, forming the inner mucosal lining of the alveoli. The primary functions of lung surfactant are to minimize surface tension at the alveolar air-fluid interface and provide a barrier against disease (1-5). Inadequate protein levels are a leading cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants (6-8).Current therapies for RDS primarily rely on administration of lung surfactant from exogenous sources (9-12). This reliance on xenogenic surfactant is due to the critical role of lung surfactant protein B (SP-B), a highly hydrophobic, 79 residue protein which functions as a homodimer containing 7 disulfide bridges (13). A multitude of roles for SP-B have been proposed and experimentally established. These include surface tension minimization, facilitation of lipid adsorption and resorption at the air-fluid interface, intracellular surfactant trafficking and improved respiratory dynamics in general (14).Synthetic, peptide-based lung surfactant replacements have received noticeable attention (15-17) as the use of synthetic analogs would remove the immunologic risks associated with animal-derived surfactant and allow for greater therapeutic consistency ...