NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY OF MUSSEL ADHESIVE PROTEIN REPEATING PEPTIDE SEGMENT

Mussel adhesive protein (MAP) is the adhesive agent used by the common blue sea mussel (Mytilus edulis) to attach the animal to various unde rwater surfaces. It is generally composed of 75 to 85 repeating decame ric units with the reported primary sequence -Ala(1)-Lys(2)-Pro(3)-Ser (4)-Tyr(5)-Hyp(7)-Thr(8)- DOPA(9)-Lys(10)-COOH. This study examines th is peptide's solution-state conformation using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR and molecular modeling of the decam er before and after molecular dynamics calculations in water suggests a conformation that retains an overall bent helix. (C) Munksgaard 1997 .