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Systematic double-D-amino acid replacement of adjacent amino acids has been used to study the secondary structure of the amphiphilic, antibiotic peptide magainin 2 amide (M2a) by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Bound to liposomes, the secondary structure of the peptide is characterized by a weak alpha-helix in the N-terminus and a stable alpha-helix between residues 9 and 21. The lack of conformational differences in the peptide when bound to vesicles of varying negative charge density indicates marked independence of the structure from electrostatic forces. The similarity of the helicity profiles observed for double D-isomers bound to vesicles and in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles (SDS) clearly shows that SDS can mimic magainin-lipid interactions. In contrast, in 1:1 trifluoroethanol/buffer (v/v), the peptide exhibits a weak alpha-helix extended from the N- to the C-terminus. Dye release experiments from vesicles of phosphatidylglycerol showed that double-D-amino acid substitution only in the region of the stable helix results in a reduction of the membrane-permeabilizing ability. On vesicles with a reduced amount of acidic phospholipids, double-D-amino acid substitution in any position leads to a drastic reduction of peptide-induced membrane permeabilization. Whereas the activity of M2a on phosphatidylglycerol was found to be mainly electrostatically determined, hydrophobic interactions play a decisive role in the interaction with vesicles of reduced negative charge density. Fluorescence investigations of tryptophan-containing analogs of high and low helicity showed that differences in the location of the chromophores of the membrane-bound peptides do not exist.

The differences in the conformational properties of ovine (o) and human (h) CRH in aqueous solution, structure-inducing TFE and in the presence of detergent micelles and lipid vesicles have been investigated by circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR and dynamic light scattering. o-CRH was found to exist as a monomer with little regular structure in dilute aqueous solution. Association at concentrations higher than 10-3 mol/L results predominantly in dimers. The induction of a substantial amount of intermolecular beta-structure seems to be the result of interactions of the C-terminal hexapeptide and the N-terminal region 6-12 of o-CRH chains in antiparallel orientation. In contrast, h-CRH exhibits a high tendency of association which is highly sensitive to the pH. The formation of tetramers at millimolar peptide concentration is related to a helical content of ca. 50%. The potentially helical, highly hydrophobic region 6-20 enlarged by more hydrophobic residues in position 23 and 25 is proposed to stabilize the h-CRH associates. In the presence of structure inducing TFE (> 40% v) both CRH peptides exist as monomers. o-CRH reveals about 72% helicity, in h-CRH the formation of about 85% helix is observed. The differences in helicity of the two CRH molecules are located in the C-terminal heptapeptide, as concluded on the basis of NMR studies. Both peptides bind to detergent micelles at pH 4 as well as 7.4 associated with an increase in the alpha-helical content. Interaction of the two peptides with DMPC vesicles was found exclusively at pH 4. Above the phase transition temperature of DMPC the alpha-helical content in h-CRH increases slightly; however, o-CRH reveals a substantial amount of beta-type structure. The intramolecular type of beta-structure is associated with a deeper insertion of the o-CRH region 6-12 into the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer, whereas the corresponding region of h-CRH is kept in the bilayer surface. The higher helicity of h-CRH might explain to some extent its higher affinity to the CRH receptor, CRH antibodies and the CRH binding protein.