Molecular Dynamics of Some Pentapeptides Having a Strong Tendency to Helical Conformation

Some pentapeptides with higher alpha-helical tendency possess typical sequence pattern, such as “+ - + + - - +”, “+ - - + - - +”, “+ - + - - - +”, and “- + + - - - +” (“+” = D,N,E,Q,K,R,T,C, or H; “-” = L,I,V, or A), especially symmetrical motifs (a pair of reverse sequences beside palindromic segments), such as ALALA, QQAQE/EQAQQ, and REALE/ELAER, hint that the nascent peptide can fold a certain conformation in a two-way folding fashion.