Solution and solid state conformational preferences of a family of cyclic disulphide bridged tetrapeptides.

A set of cyclic tetrapeptides of the general form cyclo (Boc-Cys-Pro-X-Cys-OMe) with X being L-/D-Ala, L-/D-Val, and L-/D-Trp was synthesized. These peptides serve as model systems for structure elucidation in solution and feature a variety of structural motifs - namely a β-turn with intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions, cis/trans isomerism, and a disulphide bond. In this work, we performed a comprehensive structural analysis focussing on their β-turn conformational preferences using NMR, VCD, and Raman spectroscopy. Our results provide evidence for a strong influence of a single stereocenter on the structures of the peptides whereas solvent polarity does not significantly affect them. Additionally, the solid state conformational preferences were studied by crystal structure analysis. Overall, a general trend for the conformational preferences of this set of peptides can be concluded from the results of the complementary investigations.