Are the radical centers in peptide radical cations mobile? The generation, tautomerism, and dissociation of isomeric alpha-carbon-centered triglycine radical cations in the gas phase

J Am Chem Soc. 2008 Jun 25;130(25):7862-72. doi: 10.1021/ja801108j. Epub 2008 May 31.

Abstract

The mobility of the radical center in three isomeric triglycine radical cations[G(*)GG](+), [GG(*)G](+), and [GGG(*)](+) has been investigated theoretically via density functional theory (DFT) and experimentally via tandem mass spectrometry. These radical cations were generated by collision-induced dissociations (CIDs) of Cu(II)-containing ternary complexes that contain the tripeptides YGG, GYG, and GGY, respectively (G and Y are the glycine and tyrosine residues, respectively). Dissociative electron transfer within the complexes led to observation of [Y(*)GG](+), [GY(*)G](+), and [GGY(*)](+); CID resulted in cleavage of the tyrosine side chain as p-quinomethide, yielding [G(*)GG](+), [GG(*)G](+), and [GGG(*)](+), respectively. Interconversions between these isomeric triglycine radical cations have relatively high barriers (> or = 44.7 kcal/mol), in support of the thesis that isomerically pure [G(*)GG](+), [GG(*)G](+), and [GGG(*)](+) can be experimentally produced. This is to be contrasted with barriers < 17 kcal/mol that were encountered in the tautomerism of protonated triglycine [Rodriquez C. F. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 3006-3012]. The CID spectra of [G(*)GG](+), [GG(*)G](+), and [GGG(*)](+) were substantially different, providing experimental proof that initially these ions have distinct structures. DFT calculations showed that direct dissociations are competitive with interconversions followed by dissociation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry*
  • Cations
  • Free Radicals / chemistry
  • Gases / chemistry*
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Phase Transition
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Cations
  • Free Radicals
  • Gases
  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptides
  • Carbon
  • glycyl-glycyl-glycine