Questions on Protein Structure

Q. Consider the following polypeptide and answer

the corresponding questions:
Ala – Glu – Phe – Lys – Ser
(i) Draw the covalent structure of the polypeptide
at pH 7.0
(ii) What is the net charge of this peptide at pH 7.0
(iii) Calculate the isoelectric point (pI) of the
peptide (Show your calculations/reasoning to
arrive at the answer).
 Q. Aspartame (NutraSweet), an artificial
sweetener, is a dipeptide composed of Asp-
Phe in which the carboxy terminus is
modified by the attachment of a methyl
group. Draw the structure of Aspartame at
pH 7.
Q. (a) NMR measurements have shown that poly-

L-lysine is a random coil at pH 7 but becomes a

helical as the pH is raised above 10. Account for

this pH-dependent conformational transition.

(b) Predict the pH dependence of the helix–coil

transition of poly-L glutamate.