A preformed, ordered structure of a 25-residue peptide derived from a major histocompatibility complex class I antigen is required to affect insulin receptor function.

It was recently shown that a 25-residue peptide, Dk-(61-85), derived from the alpha 1 domain of a murine major histocompatibility class I molecule (H-2Dk), affects insulin receptor functions (Hansen, T., Stagsted, J., Pedersen, L., Roth, R. A., Goldstein, A., and Olsson, L. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 86, 3123-3126; Stagsted, J., Reaven, G. M., Hansen, T., Goldstein, A., and Olsson, L. (1990) Cell 62, 297-307). We now report that this peptide can reversibly assume a biologically active or inactive state as measured in the rat adipocyte glucose uptake assay, implying that the peptide has at least two interconvertible conformations. The peptide has an ordered conformation in 0.1 M HCl or 0.1 M NaCl stock solution as shown by circular dichroism, but has a disordered molecular structure and is inactive when dissolved in H2O. The biologically active peptide forms liquid crystals at the stock solution concentration (1 mM), so the CD spectra do not provide information on the secondary structure. Under all conditions tested, biological activity (measured after transfer to assay buffer) is associated with an ordered conformation in stock solution. Biological activity and an ordered conformation of the peptide in H2O stock solution can be induced by increasing ionic strength (greater than 100 mM NaCl for maximal effect) or increasing pH (greater than 5 for maximal effect). The induction rate of the ordered conformation is slow with a half-maximal value obtained after approximately 20 min. Both biological activity and the ordered structure are lost upon heating of stock solution to 90 degrees C or upon transfer to assay buffer. A similar correlation of ordered structure with biological activity was observed with two truncated peptides derived from Dk-(61-85). It is inferred from these results that the Dk-(61-85) peptide and related peptides only affect insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in rat adipocytes if they have assumed an ordered conformation in stock solution prior to transfer to assay buffer and exposure to cells.