CONFORMATIONAL STUDIES ON SYNTHETIC POLY-α-AMINO ACIDS: THE HELICAL SENSE OF POLY-L-TRYPTOPHAN: OPTICAL ROTATORY DISPERSION STUDIES

Abstract

The synthesis of high molecular weight (100 000 to 200 000) polymers and copolymers of L-tryptophan and γ-benzyl-L-glutamate is reported. The optical rotatory dispersion (o.r.d.) of these polypeptides is recorded in the wavelength range 540–320 mμ and the b₀ values of the Moffitt equation, using λ₀ = 212ν, are listed. Poly-L-tryptophan has a b₀ value of +570 in dimethylformamide (DMF). A linear relationship exists between this value, b₀ values of copolymers of various ratios of L-tryptophan and γ-benzyl-L-glutamate, and the value of− 670 found for poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate. The o.r.d. curve of a poly-L-tryptophan film, in the 330–200 mμ wavelength range, reveals two positive Cotton effects in the 270–290 mμ region and a large negative Cotton effect at 233 mμ. Thus, despite the positive b₀ value, these data prove that poly-L-tryptophan, in DMF, has the right-handed helical conformation. Hypochromicity was found for the tryptophanyl residue in the helical polypeptide. The rotatory contribution of chromophores, such as tryptophan or coenzymes, when bound asymmetrically to a protein, can be very significant, and caution is advised in the interpretation of such o.r.d. curves.