SOLUTION STRUCTURE OF PARDAXIN-P-2

Pardaxin is a mucosal secretion of the Pacific sole Pardachirus pavoninus that exhibits unusual shark repellent and surfactant properties [Thompson, S. A., Tachibana, K., Nakanishi, K., & Kubota, I. (1986) Science 233, 341-343]. This 33 amino acid polypeptide folds into ordered structures in trifluoroethanol-water solution and in micelles but adopts a random-coiled structure in water solution. The complete proton NMR spectrum of pardaxin P-2 has been assigned in CF3CD2OD/H2O (1:1) solution, and the three-dimensional structure has been elucidated with distance restrained molecular dynamics calculations. It is demonstrated that peptide segments within the 7-11 and 14-26 residue stretches are helical while residues at the C- and N-terminus exist predominantly in extended conformations in solution. The dipeptide 12-13 segment connecting the two helices exists as a bend or a hinge allowing the two helices to be oriented in a L-shaped configuration. These studies establish that pardaxin P-2 adopts a novel amphiphilic helix (7-11)-bend (12-13)-helix (I 4-26) motif with Pro-13 forming the focal point of the turn or bend between the two helices.