Structure and orientation of dynorphin bound to lipid bilayers by 13C solid-state NMR

Secondary structure and orientation of dynorphin bound to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayer were investigated by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy. For this purpose, 13C NMR spectra of the site-specifically 13C-labeled dynorphin were measured in the membrane-bound state under static, magic angle spinning (MAS), and slow MAS conditions. In the static experiment, magnetically oriented vesicle system (MOVS) induced by dynorphin was successfully used to investigate the orientation of dynorphin bound to the lipid bilayers. It was found that dynorphin adopts an α-helical structure in the N-terminus from Gly2 to Leu5 by analyses of the isotropic chemical shifts obtained from the MAS experiments. In contrast, it adopts disordered conformations from the center to the C-terminus and is located on the membrane surface. The static 13C NMR spectra indicated that MOVS-bound dynorphin was oriented to the magnetic field and rotated rapidly about the bilayer normal. Subsequently, we analyzed the 13C chemical shift tensors of carbonyl carbons in the peptide backbone by considering the rotational motion of the N-terminal α-helix. It was revealed that the N-terminal α-helix is inserted into the membrane with the tilt angle of 21° to the bilayer normal. This structure suggests a possibility that dynorphin interacts with the extracellular loop II of the κ-receptor through a helix-helix interaction.