Conformational differences of ovine and human corticotrophin releasing hormone A CD, IR, NMR and dynamic light scattering study

Abstract

The differences in the conformational properties of ovine (o) and human (h) CRH in aqueous solution, structure-inducing TFE and in the presence of detergent micelles and lipid vesicles have been investigated by circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR and dynamic light scattering. o-CRH was found to exist as a monomer with little regular structure in dilute aqueous solution. Association at concentrations higher than 10-3 mol/L results predominantly in dimers. The induction of a substantial amount of intermolecular beta-structure seems to be the result of interactions of the C-terminal hexapeptide and the N-terminal region 6-12 of o-CRH chains in antiparallel orientation. In contrast, h-CRH exhibits a high tendency of association which is highly sensitive to the pH. The formation of tetramers at millimolar peptide concentration is related to a helical content of ca. 50%. The potentially helical, highly hydrophobic region 6-20 enlarged by more hydrophobic residues in position 23 and 25 is proposed to stabilize the h-CRH associates. In the presence of structure inducing TFE (> 40% v) both CRH peptides exist as monomers. o-CRH reveals about 72% helicity, in h-CRH the formation of about 85% helix is observed. The differences in helicity of the two CRH molecules are located in the C-terminal heptapeptide, as concluded on the basis of NMR studies. Both peptides bind to detergent micelles at pH 4 as well as 7.4 associated with an increase in the alpha-helical content. Interaction of the two peptides with DMPC vesicles was found exclusively at pH 4. Above the phase transition temperature of DMPC the alpha-helical content in h-CRH increases slightly; however, o-CRH reveals a substantial amount of beta-type structure. The intramolecular type of beta-structure is associated with a deeper insertion of the o-CRH region 6-12 into the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer, whereas the corresponding region of h-CRH is kept in the bilayer surface. The higher helicity of h-CRH might explain to some extent its higher affinity to the CRH receptor, CRH antibodies and the CRH binding protein.