Conformational preferences of heterochiral peptides. Crystal structures of heterochiral peptides Boc-(D) Val-(D) Ala-Leu-Ala-OMe and Boc-Val-Ala-Leu-(D) Ala-OMe--enhanced stability of beta-sheet through C-H...O hydrogen bonds.

The crystal structures of Boc-(D) Val-(D) Ala-Leu-Ala-OMe (vaLA) and Boc-Val-Ala-Leu-(D) Ala-OMe (VALa) have been determined. vaLA crystallises in space group P2(1),2(1),2(1), with a = 9.401 (4), b = 17.253 (5), c = 36.276 (9)A. V = 5,884 (3) A3, Z = 8, R = 0.086. VALa crystallises in space group P2(1) with a = 9.683 (9), b = 17.355 (7), c = 18.187 (9) A, beta = 95.84 (8) degrees , V = 3,040(4) A3, Z = 4, R = 0.125. There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit in antiparallel beta-sheet arrangement in both the structures. Several of the Calpha hydrogens are in hydrogen bonding contact with the carbonyl oxygen in the adjacent strand. An analysis of the observed conformational feature of D-chiral amino acid residues in oligopeptides, using coordinates of 123 crystal structures selected from the 1998 release of CSD has been carried out. This shows that all the residues except D-isoleucine prefer both extended and alphaL conformation though the frequence of occurence may not be equal. In addition to this, D-leucine, valine, proline and phenylalanine have assumed alphaR conformations in solid state. D-leucine has a strong preference for helical conformation in linear peptides whereas they prefer an extended conformation in cyclic peptides.