1H nuclear magnetic resonance determination of the membrane-bound conformation of senktide, a highly selective neurokinin B agonist.

Senktide is a highly specific and potent analog of neurokinin B, the natural ligand of the tachykinin receptor NK-3. The membrane-bound conformation of senktide, interacting with negatively charged membrane vesicles composed of perdeuterated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol (70:30), has been investigated using two-dimensional transferred nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (TRNOESY). The occurrence of an N-methylated phenylalanine in the peptide's sequence induces a cis-trans-isomerisation of the corresponding peptide bond which is slow on the chemical-shift scale. NMR data indicate a much stronger membrane affinity of the trans isomer, allowing the determination of a highly resolved membrane-bound conformation using distance geometry and energy minimization. The membrane-bound backbone conformation of several residues is found to be close to a left-handed helix, certainly due to the presence of nonnatural residues (succinylated N-terminal, N-methyl-phenylalanine) as well as a glycine. The results are discussed in the context of a possible biological relevance of the membrane-bound conformation, in terms of the affinity and specificity of this neuropeptide.