Peptide models XXVII. An exploratory ab initio study on the 21st amino acid side-chain conformations of N-formyl-L-selenocysteinamide (For-L-Sec-NH2) and N-acetyl-L-selenocysteine-N-methylamide (Ac-L-Sec-NHMe) in their γL backbone conformation

Abstract

Selenocysteine is expected to have 9 × 9 = 81 conformations [3 × 3 = 9 backbone: ψ (g+,a,g-) × ϕ (g+,a,g-) and 3 × 3 = 9 side-chain: χ1 (g+,a,g-) × χ2 (g+,a,g-)]. In the present study, all the torsional modes of the side-chain (χ1: rotation about the Cα-Cβ and χ2: rotation about the Cβ-Se bonds) were investigated in the relaxed γL backbone [(ϕ,ψ); (g-,g+)] conformation. Seven out of the nine expected minima were found at the RHF/3-21G level of theory for N-formyl-L-selenocysteinamide (For-L-Sec-NH2) and N-acetyl-L-selenocysteine-N-methylamide (Ac-L-Sec-NHMe). The stabilization energy exerted by the -CH2-SeH side-chain has been compared with that of -CH2-SH and -CH2-OH. Relative energies of the various conformers were also obtained via single point calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Topological analysis of the electron density has been performed by Bader's Atoms in Molecule (AIM) approach using the results. The structures were also optimized at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory.Key words: selenocysteine side-chain conformations, ab initio MO study, Multidimensional Conformational Analysis (MDCA), Atoms in Molecules (AIM), Bader's electron density analysis.