1. Crystal and molecular structures of the isomeric dipeptides alpha-L-aspartyl-L-alanine and beta-L-aspartyl-L-alanine
C H Görbitz Acta Chem Scand B. 1987 Oct;41(9):679-85. doi: 10.3891/acta.chem.scand.41b-0679.
The crystal and molecular structures of the alpha- and beta-L-Asp isomers of L-aspartyl-L-alanine have been determined at 120 K using 1226 and 1609 reflections (I greater than 2.5 sigma I), respectively. The space group for the alpha-isomer is P2(1), with cell parameters a = 4.788(1), b = 16.943(4), c = 5.807(1) A and beta = 107.55(2) degrees; final R factor 0.042. The space group for the beta-isomer is P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 4.845(1), b = 9.409(2) and c = 19.170(3) A; final R-factor 0.047. The two peptides crystallize as zwitterions with the side-chain acidic groups ionized. Each molecule adopts a trans configuration at the peptide bond with both carboxyl groups situated on the same side of the peptide plane. The geometries of the aspartyl moieties do, however, differ in the two structures. The peptide bond is significantly longer in the beta-isomer than in the alpha-isomer, with C-N 1.344(3) and 1.328(4) A, respectively. A very short intermolecular carboxyl...carboxyl hydrogen bond (O...O = 2.502(4) A) is observed in the crystals of the alpha-isomer.
2. Determination of beta-aspartylpeptidase activity in human faeces by high-performance liquid chromatography using pre-column derivatization with phenyl isothiocyanate
F R van der Leij, G W Welling J Chromatogr. 1986 Nov 28;383(1):35-42. doi: 10.1016/s0378-4347(00)83438-6.
Bacterial enzymes are responsible for degradation of beta-aspartyl peptides in the intestinal tract. These peptides, especially the dipeptide beta-aspartylglycine, are useful as indicators of an impaired anaerobic intestinal microflora of antibiotic-treated patients. A method to separate the dipeptides beta-aspartylalanine, beta-aspartylglutamine, beta-aspartylglycine and beta-aspartylserine, using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and precolumn derivatization with phenyl isothiocyanate, was developed. This method was used to determine beta-aspartylpeptidase activity in faecal supernatants of healthy human volunteers and antibiotic-treated patients with beta-aspartylglycine as substrate. This activity was absent in the antibiotic-treated group, while in individuals with an intact intestinal flora it ranged from 16 to 100% degradation per 18 h. In addition, it was found that faecal enzyme preparations cleaved beta-aspartylglycine at a much lower rate than the other beta-aspartyl peptides.
3. Liquid chromatographic determination of acidic beta-aspartyl and gamma-glutamyl peptides in extracts of rat brain
M Sandberg, X Li, S Folestad, S G Weber, O Orwar Anal Biochem. 1994 Feb 15;217(1):48-61. doi: 10.1006/abio.1994.1082.
This work describes further development of our previously presented method for determination of acidic sulfur/phosphor-containing amino acids, gamma-glutamyl di/tripeptides, and beta-aspartyl dipeptides. Automated precolumn fluorogenic derivatization was performed with o-phthaldialdehyde/beta-mercaptoethanol and the derivatives were separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The method was optimized for the analysis of brain tissue extracts. Due to the complex sample matrix, three separation schemes with complementary selectivities were developed. Different extraction protocols were evaluated and sonication of frozen tissue powder in methanol-H2O (9:1, v/v) yielded the highest recoveries and precision. beta-Mercaphtoethanol and EDTA were added to the extraction media to inhibit spontaneous oxidation of thiol-containing amino compounds. Analyte identification was based on retention times and recovery of standards added to extracts. The following compounds were identified in rat cerebral cortex (mean tissue concentration +/- SD, n = 6): gamma-glutamylglutamine (38.5 +/- 12.6 microM), gamma-glutamylglutamate (14.4 +/- 6.0 microM), gamma-glutamyltaurine (4.9 +/- 2.2 microM), beta-aspartylglycine (4.0 +/- 0.4 microM), beta-aspartyltaurine (3.7 +/- 0.6 microM), O-phosphoserine (3.2 +/- 0.8 microM), gamma-glutamylcysteine (1.9 +/- 0.3 microM), gamma-glutamylglycine (1.1 +/- 0.1 microM), and gamma-glutamylcysteateglycine (0.8 +/- 0.1 microM). In addition over 15 unidentified components were found. Cysteate, cysteine sulfinate, homocysteate, homocysteine sulfinate, O-Sulfoserine, gamma-glutamylaspartate, gamma-glutamylcysteate, gamma-glutamylhistidine, and beta-aspartylalanine were not present at concentrations above 1 microM.
