Abstract

In the framework of molecular mechanics conformational energy calculations, a random-search and minimization procedure is presented to characterize low-energy domains of polypeptidic structures. Rather than striving for global minima, populations of conformers are randomly generated, and their energy is minimized in order to study their intrinsic properties. The application to the opioid peptide Met-Enkephalin allowed the identification of low-energy domains that are compared with previous results of conformational studies on this molecule. Our method gives a complete overview of the conformational behaviour of the polypeptide under study, including previously reported structures as determined from experimental and theoretical studies. To illustrate the usefulness of this method to determine bioactive peptidic structures and their active conformers, the application to geometrically constrained chemotactic tripeptides is presented. Keywords: peptides, conformation, theoretical prediction.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.