The role of the C-terminus of the insulin B-chain in modulating structural and functional properties of the hormone

In memoriam Howard S. Tager Within the scope of structure-function studies on the proteohormone insulin, the role of the C-terminal segment B26-B30 for self-association and receptor interaction was analyzed. Insulin derivatives with modifications in the region B26-B30 were synthesized by trypsin-catalyzed coupling reactions of des-(B23-B30)-insulin with synthetic peptides. The peptides were obtained by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. Insulins with multiple amino acid → glycine substitutions were examined to distinguish between the influence of the side chains and the influence of the main chain in positions B27-B30 on the self-association of the hormone. The analogues Gly^{B27,B28,B29,B30}]insulin and Gly^B27,B28,B30]insulin exhibit relative receptor affinities of 80% and self-associate. The successive extension of Ala^B26]des-(B27-B30)-insulin-B26-amide (relative receptor binding 273%) with amino xids corresponding to the native sequence B27-B30 showed the influence of the length of the B-chain on receptor affinity: the extension by B27-threonine amide reduces receptor binding to 71%, all further prolongations have only small effects on the binding. The effect of the B28-side chain on main-chain conformation, self-association and receptor binding was examined with X^B28]des-(B29-B30)-insulin-B28-amides (X = Phe, Gly, D-Pro). While the glycine and D-proline analogues (relative binding 104 and 143%, respectively) retain the self-association properties typical of insulin, Phe^B28]des-(B29-B30)-insulin-B28-amide (relative binding 50%) shows diminished self-association. The backbone-modified insulin derivative Sar^B26]des-(B27-B30)-insulin-B26-amide (sarcosine =N-methylglycine) exhibits an unexpectedly high receptor affinity of 1100% which demonstrates that the B26-amide hydrogen of the native hormone is not important for receptor binding. © Munksgaard 1995.