Formation of a native-like β-hairpin finger structure of a peptide from the extended PDZ domain of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in aqueous solution

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is targeted to the cell membrane via interactions of its extended PDZ domain with PDZ domains of membrane-associated proteins including PSD-95 and alpha 1-syntrophin. The formation of heterodimers between the nNOS PDZ domain and the PDZ domains of nNOS-binding proteins requires a stretch of continuous amino-acid residues C-terminal to the canonical nNOS PDZ domain. In this work, we show that a 27-residue peptide comprising the C-terminal extension of the extended nNOS PDZ domain is capable of binding to PSD-95. The structure of the 27-residue peptide in aqueous solution was determined using multidimensional NMR-spectroscopic techniques. The free peptide adopts a native-like beta-hairpin finger structure in aqueous solution. The results indicate that the C-terminal extension peptide of the nNOS PDZ domain may represent a relatively independent structural unit in the mediation of the interaction between nNOS and PDZ domain-containing proteins including PSD-95 and alpha 1-syntrophin.