Understanding Electron Transfer Across Negatively-Charged Aib Oligo-Peptides

The physicochemical effects modulating the conformational behavior and the rate of intramolecular dissociative electron transfer in phthalimide-Aibn-peroxide peptides (n ) 0-3) have been studied by an integrated density functional/continuum solvent model. We found that three different orientations of the phthalimide ring are possible, labeled ¼hel, ¼C7, and ¼pII. In the condensed phase, they are very close in energy when the system is neutral and short. When the peptide chain length increases and the system is negatively charged, ¼hel becomes instead the most stable conformer. Our calculations confirm that the 310-helix is the most stable secondary structure for the peptide bridge. However, upon charge injection in the phthalimide end of the phthalimide-Aib3-peroxide, the peptide bridge can adopt an R-helix conformation as well. The study of the dependence of the frontier orbitals on the length and on the conformation of the peptide bridge (in agreement with experimental indications) suggests that for n ) 3 the process could be influenced by a 310 f R-helix conformational transition of the peptide chain.