Unusual Conformational Preferences of β-Alanine Containing Cyclic Peptides. VII

In the present paper we describe the synthesis, purification, and single crystal x-ray analysis of the cyclic pentapeptide cyclo-(Pro-Phe-Phe-β-Ala-β-Ala). This compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P212121 from methanol and adopts in the solid state an unusual conformation characterized by a cis β-Ala5-Pro1 peptide bond and by an intramolecular hydrogen bond stabilizing a C11- and a C12-ring structure. The C11, structure contains the Phe3 and the β-Ala4 at the corner position of the turn; it is the first observation of a type II β-turn enlargement due to the insertion of an extra methylene group of the β-alanine residue. The rest of the molecule participates in a newly characterized C12-ring structure, which incorporates a β-Ala residue at position i of the turn.