The conformational propensity of the 20 naturally occurring amino acid
s was determined in aqueous 3[N-morpholino]propane-sulfonic acid (MOPS
) buffer, protein interior-like [nonmicellar sodium dodecylsulfate (SD
S)] and membrane-like environments (micellar SDS and lysophosphatidylg
lycerol/lysophosphatidylcholine micelles) using a single ''guest'' pos
ition in a polyalanine-based model host peptide (Ac-KYA(13)K-NH2). Thi
s model system allows the intrinsic alpha-helical or beta-sheet propen
sity of the amino acids to be determined without intra- and interchain
side chain interactions. The overall environment dependence observed
for the conformational propensity for the amino acids studied confirms
the importance of determining propensity in lipidic environments to b
etter elucidate the biological functions of proteins. The hydrophobic
interactions between peptide side chains and lipids appeared to be the
primary forces driving the conformational induction in lipidic enviro
nments of the model peptides studied. Finally, when comparing the resu
lts of these studies with those reported in the literature, the local
environment was found to highly influence 65% of the 20 naturally occu
rring amino acids. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.