Principles of Inter-Amino-Acid Recognition Revealed by Binding Energies between Homogeneous Oligopeptides

We have determined the interaction strengths of the common naturally occurring amino acids using a complete binding affinity matrix of 20 × 20 pairs of homo-octapeptides consisting of the 20 common amino acids between stationary and mobile states. We used a bead-based fluorescence assay for these measurements. The results provide a basis for analyzing specificity, polymorphisms, and selectivity of inter-amino-acid interactions. Comparative analyses of the binding energies, i.e., the free energies of association (ΔGA), reveal contributions assignable to both main-chain-related and side-chain-related interactions originating from the chemical structures of these 20 common amino acids. Side-chain–side-chain and side-chain–main-chain interactions are found to be pronounced in an identified set of amino acid pairs that determine the basis of inter-amino-acid recognition.