Correlation between ω and ψ Dihedral Angles in Protein Structures

The planarity of the peptide group is one of the fundamental features of protein structure that is described in every chemistry and biochemistry textbook. By surveying a dataset of 163 atomic resolution protein structures we here identify the stereochemical conditions that favor significant deformations of peptide bond planarity. In particular, we demonstrate that the values of the ω dihedral angle are strictly correlated to the values of the adjacent ψ angle. This trend is also observed in highly strained states such as those occurring in vicinal disulfide bridges. These findings provide direct evidence for the mutual influence of the geometrical parameters that describe the protein structure.