Which of the following is suitably accommodated within the first turn of an alpha helix?
The stability of an alpha helix arises primarily from hydrogen bonds formed between the oxygen of the peptide bond carbonyl and the hydrogen atom of the peptide bond nitrogen of the fouh residue down the polypeptide chain. The ability to form the maximum number of hydrogen bonds, supplemented by van der Waals interactions in the core of this tightly packed structure, provides the thermodynamic driving force for the formation of an alpha helix. Since the peptide bond nitrogen of proline lacks a hydrogen atom to contribute to a hydrogen bond, proline can only be stably accommodated within the first turn of an alpha helix. When present elsewhere, proline disrupts the conformation of the helix, producing a bend. Because of its small size, glycine also often induces bends in alpha helices. Ref: Kennelly P.J., Rodwell V.W. (2011). Chapter 5. Proteins: Higher Orders of Structure. In D.A. Bender, K.M. Botham, P.A. Weil, P.J. Kennelly, R.K. Murray, V.W. Rodwell (Eds), Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 29e.
Alanine
Aspaic acid
Tyrosine
Glycine