Six- and seven-dimensional experiments by combination of sparse random sampling and projection spectroscopy dedicated for backbone resonance assignment of intrinsically disordered proteins

Atomic-resolution chemical characterization of (2x)72-kDa tryptophan synthase via four- and five-dimensional 1H-detected solid-state NMR

NMR chemical shifts provide detailed information on the chemical properties of molecules, thereby complementing structural data from techniques like X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy. Detailed analysis of protein NMR data, however, often hinges on comprehensive, site-specific assignment of backbone resonances, which becomes a bottleneck for molecular weights beyond 40 to 45 kDa. Here, we show that assignments for the (2x)72-kDa protein tryptophan synthase (665 amino acids per asymmetric unit) can be achieved via higher-dimensional, proton-detected, solid-state NMR using a single, 1-mg, uniformly labeled, microcrystalline sample. This framework grants access to atom-specific characterization of chemical properties and relaxation for the backbone and side chains, including those residues important for the catalytic turnover. Combined with first-principles calculations, the chemical shifts in the β-subunit active site suggest a connection between active-site chemistry, the electrostatic environment, and catalytically important dynamics of the portal to the β-subunit from solution.

Towards complete polypeptide backbone NH assignment via combinatorial labeling

Combinatorial selective isotope labeling is a valuable tool to facilitate polypeptide backbone resonance assignment in cases of low sensitivity or extensive chemical shift degeneracy. It involves recording of ¹⁵N-HSQC and 2D HN-projections of triple-resonance spectra on a limited set of samples containing different combinations of labeled and unlabeled amino acid types. Using labeling schemes in which the three backbone heteronuclei (amide nitrogen, α-carbon and carbonyl carbon) are enriched in ¹⁵N or ¹³C isotopes - individually as well as simultaneously - usually yields abundant amino-acid type information of consecutive residues i and i - 1. Although this results in a large number of anchor points that can be used in the sequential assignment process, for most amide signals the exact positioning of the corresponding residue the polypeptide sequence still relies on matching intra- and interresidual ¹³C chemical shifts obtained from 3D spectra. An obvious way to obtain more sequence-specific assignments directly with combinatorial labeling would be to increase the number of samples. This is, however, undesirable because of increased sample preparation efforts and costs. Irrespective of the number of samples, unambiguous assignments cannot be accomplished for i - 1/i pairs that are not unique in the sequence. Here we show that the ambiguity for non-unique pairs can be resolved by including information about the labeling state of residues i + 1 and i - 2. Application to a 35-residue peptide resulted in complete assignments of all detectable signals in the ¹⁵N HSQC which, due to its repetitive sequence and ¹³C chemical shift degeneracies, was difficult to achieve by other means. For a medium-sized protein (165 residues, rotational correlation time 8.2 ns) the improved protocol allowed the extent of backbone amide assignment to be expanded to 88% solely using a suite of 2D ¹H-¹⁵N correlated spectra.

Focusing on “the important” through targeted NMR experiments: an example of selective13C–12C bond detection in complex mixtures

Here, a targeted NMR experiment is introduced which selectively detects the formation of¹³C–¹²C bonds in mixtures.

XLSY: Extra-Large NMR Spectroscopy

NMR studies of intrinsically disordered proteins and other complex biomolecular systems require spectra with the highest resolution and dimensionality. An efficient approach, extra‐large NMR spectroscopy, is presented for experimental data collection, reconstruction, and handling of very large NMR spectra by a combination of the radial and non‐uniform sampling, a new processing algorithm, and rigorous statistical validation. We demonstrate the first high‐quality reconstruction of a full seven‐dimensional HNCOCACONH and two five‐dimensional HACACONH and HN(CA)CONH experiments for a representative intrinsically disordered protein α‐synuclein. XLSY will significantly enhance the NMR toolbox in challenging biomolecular studies.

High-dimensional NMR methods for intrinsically disordered proteins studies

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are getting more and more interest of the scientific community. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is often a technique of choice for these studies, as it provides atomic-resolution information on structure, dynamics and interactions of IDPs. Nonetheless, NMR spectra of IDPs are typically extraordinary crowded, comparing to those of structured proteins. To overcome this problem, high-dimensional NMR experiments can be used, which allow for a better peak separation. In the present review different aspects of such experiments are discussed, from data acquisition and processing to analysis, focusing on experiments for resonance assignment.

Environmental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: An Overview and a Primer

NMR spectroscopy is a versatile tool for the study of structure and interactions in environmental media such as air, soil, and water as well as monitoring the metabolic responses of living organisms to an ever changing environment. Part review, part perspective, and part tutorial, this Feature is aimed at nonspecialists who are interested in learning more about the potential and impact of NMR spectroscopy in environmental research.

Reconstruction of non-uniformly sampled five-dimensional NMR spectra by signal separation algorithm

A method for five-dimensional spectral reconstruction of non-uniformly sampled NMR data sets is proposed. It is derived from the previously published signal separation algorithm, with major alterations to avoid unfeasible processing of an entire five-dimensional spectrum. The proposed method allows credible reconstruction of spectra from as little as a few hundred data points and enables sensitive resonance detection in experiments with a high dynamic range of peak intensities. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated on two high-resolution spectra for rapid sequential assignment of intrinsically disordered proteins, namely 5D HN(CA)CONH and 5D (HACA)CON(CO)CONH.

Application of NMR to studies of intrinsically disordered proteins

The prevalence of intrinsically disordered protein regions, particularly in eukaryotic proteins, and their clear functional advantages for signaling and gene regulation have created an imperative for high-resolution structural and mechanistic studies. NMR spectroscopy has played a central role in enhancing not only our understanding of the intrinsically disordered native state, but also how that state contributes to biological function. While pathological functions associated with protein aggregation are well established, it has recently become clear that disordered regions also mediate functionally advantageous assembly into high-order structures that promote the formation of membrane-less sub-cellular compartments and even hydrogels. Across the range of functional assembly states accessed by disordered regions, post-translational modifications and regulatory macromolecular interactions, which can also be investigated by NMR spectroscopy, feature prominently. Here we will explore the many ways in which NMR has advanced our understanding of the physical-chemical phase space occupied by disordered protein regions and provide prospectus for the future role of NMR in this emerging and exciting field.

Increasing the Chemical-Shift Dispersion of Unstructured Proteins with a Covalent Lanthanide Shift Reagent

The study of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) by NMR often suffers from highly overlapped resonances that prevent unambiguous chemical-shift assignments, and data analysis that relies on well-separated resonances. We present a covalent paramagnetic lanthanide-binding tag (LBT) for increasing the chemical-shift dispersion and facilitating the chemical-shift assignment of challenging, repeat-containing IDPs. Linkage of the DOTA-based LBT to a cysteine residue induces pseudo-contact shifts (PCS) for resonances more than 20 residues from the spin-labeling site. This leads to increased chemical-shift dispersion and decreased signal overlap, thereby greatly facilitating chemical-shift assignment. This approach is applicable to IDPs of varying sizes and complexity, and is particularly helpful for repeat-containing IDPs and low-complexity regions. This results in improved efficiency for IDP analysis and binding studies.

Five and four dimensional experiments for robust backbone resonance assignment of large intrinsically disordered proteins: application to Tau3x protein

New experiments dedicated for large IDPs backbone resonance assignment are presented. The most distinctive feature of all described techniques is the employment of MOCCA-XY16 mixing sequences to obtain effective magnetization transfers between carbonyl carbon backbone nuclei. The proposed 4 and 5 dimensional experiments provide a high dispersion of obtained signals making them suitable for use in the case of large IDPs (application to 354 a. a. residues of Tau protein 3x isoform is presented) as well as provide both forward and backward connectivities. What is more, connecting short chains interrupted with proline residues is also possible. All the experiments employ non-uniform sampling.

A Set of Efficient nD NMR Protocols for Resonance Assignments of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

The RF pulse scheme RN[N-CA HEHAHA]NH, which provides a convenient approach to the acquisition of different multidimensional chemical shift correlation NMR spectra leading to backbone resonance assignments, including those of the proline residues of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), is experimentally demonstrated. Depending on the type of correlation data required, the method involves the generation of in-phase ((15) N)(x) magnetisation via different magnetisation transfer pathways such as H→N→CO→N, HA→CA→CO→N, H→N→CA→N and H→CA→N, the subsequent application of (15) N-(13) C(α) heteronuclear Hartmann-Hahn mixing over a period of ≈100 ms, chemical-shift labelling of relevant nuclei before and after the heteronuclear mixing step and amide proton detection in the acquisition dimension. It makes use of the favourable relaxation properties of IDPs and the presence of (1) JCαN and (2) JCαN couplings to achieve efficient correlation of the backbone resonances of each amino acid residue "i" with the backbone amide resonances of residues "i-1" and "i+1". It can be implemented in a straightforward way through simple modifications of the RF pulse schemes commonly employed in protein NMR studies. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated using a uniformly ((15) N,(13) C) labelled sample of α-synuclein. The different possibilities for obtaining the amino-acid-type information, simultaneously with the connectivity data between the backbone resonances of sequentially neighbouring residues, have also been outlined.