Structural studies of model peptides containing beta-, gamma- and delta-amino acids.

The crystal structures of five model peptides Piv-Pro-Gly-NHMe (1), Piv-Pro-betaGly-NHMe (2), Piv-Pro-betaGly-OMe (3), Piv-Pro-deltaAva-OMe (4) and Boc-Pro-gammaAbu-OH (5) are described (Piv: pivaloyl; NHMe: N-methylamide; betaGly: beta-glycine; OMe: O-methyl ester; deltaAva: delta-aminovaleric acid; gammaAbu: gamma-aminobutyric acid). A comparison of the structures of peptides 1 and 2 illustrates the dramatic consequences upon backbone homologation in short sequences. 1 adopts a type II beta-turn conformation in the solid state, while in 2, the molecule adopts an open conformation with the beta-residue being fully extended. Piv-Pro-betaGly-OMe (3), which differs from 2 by replacement of the C-terminal NH group by an O-atom, adopts an almost identical molecular conformation and packing arrangement in the solid state. In peptide 4, the observed conformation resembles that determined for 2 and 3, with the deltaAva residue being fully extended. In peptide 5, the molecule undergoes a chain reversal, revealing a beta-turn mimetic structure stabilized by a C-H...O hydrogen bond.