1H NMR studies of peptide fragments from the N-terminus of chicken and human transthyretin.

Two synthetic peptides corresponding to N-terminal fragments of human and chicken transthyretin have been synthesized and their structures examined in solution using 1H NMR spectroscopy. Complete sequence-specific assignments obtained for the two peptides are reported together with coupling constant and nuclear Overhauser data. The peptides were found to adopt random-coil conformations in aqueous solution. This is consistent with findings from X-ray structures of the native human transthyretin where the N-terminal region could not be defined, presumably because of conformational disorder.