The role of side-chain hydrogen bonds in the formation and stabilization of secondary structure in soluble proteins

Intra-molecular side-chain:main-chain (sch:mch) and side-chain (sch:sch) hydrogen bonds observed in 44 well refined crystallographic protein structures with non-homologous sequences have been identified, classified and analysed to detect recurring structural patterns. Each observed bond was characterized by the position of its acceptor and donor groups relative to the N and C termini of the particular secondary structure in which they occur and according to their appearance within the same of sequentially separated secondary structures. The role of short-range hydrogen bonds in the formation and stabilization of a secondary structure and the importance of long-range hydrogen bonds as a cohesive force for different structural segments were also examined. It was found that the N terminus of α-helices is characterized by recurring sch:mch and sch:sch bonds with elements of the preceding coil segment, while at the C terminus a frequent intra-helix sch:mch hydrogen bond was frequently observed. The residues at or near the β-strand termini often cross-linked, through hydrogen-bonding, non-sequential coil segments. Coil structures were characterized by recurring, internal sch:mch hydrogen bonding involving small polar side-chain groups situated at or near their N termini (coil N-capping). The significance of hydrogen bonds as formers and stabilizers of a protein fold and the association of its secondary structural units was also considered through an examination of bond density and distribution throughout the protein tertiary structure.