Olivieri M P, Wollman R M, Alderfer J L
Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, D'Youville College, Buffalo, New York, USA.
J Pept Res. 1997 Dec;50(6):436-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3011.1997.tb01206.x.
Mussel adhesive protein (MAP) is the adhesive agent used by the common blue sea mussel (Mytilus edulis) to attach the animal to various underwater surfaces. It is generally composed of 75 to 85 repeating decameric units with the reported primary sequence NH2-Ala(1)-Lyst(2)-Pro(3)-Ser(4)-Tyr(5)-Hyp(6)-Hyp(7)-Thr(8)-DOPA( 9)- Lys(10)-COOH. This study examines this peptide's solution-state conformation using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR and molecular modeling of the decamer before and after molecular dynamics calculations in water suggests a conformation that retains an overall bent helix.
