Crystal structure of a synthetic cyclodecapeptide for template-assembled synthetic protein design

The structural prototype of a new generation of regioselectively addressabl e functionalized templates (RAFTs) for use in protein de novo design has be en synthesized and crystallized. The structure of the aromatically substitu ted cyclodecapeptide was determined by X-ray diffraction; it consists of an antiparallel beta sheet spanned by heterochirally induced type II' beta tu rns, similar to that observed in gramicidin S The three-dimensional structu re of the artificial template was also examined by an NMR spectroscopic ana lysis in solution and shown to be compatible with a beta -sheet plane suita ble for accommodating secondary functional peptide fragments for the synthe sis of template-assembled synthetic proteins (TASPs).