Weak alignment NMR: a hawk-eyed view of biomolecular structure

Unraveling structural transitions and kinetics along the fold-switching pathway of the RfaH C-terminal domain using exchange-based NMR

The bacterial transcriptional regulator RfaH comprises structurally and functionally distinct N- (NTD) and C- (CTD) terminal domains. The latter switches from a helical hairpin packed against the NTD to a five-stranded β-roll upon displacement by RNA polymerase binding. Here, we use exchange-based NMR to probe fold-switching intermediates sampled by the isolated CTD. In addition to the predominant (~76 to 77%), semistable β-roll conformation (state A), we identify four structurally and kinetically distinct states: A', B, B', and B″. State B is NMR observable with an occupancy of ~23%, exchanges slowly (τex ~ 300 ms) with the major A species, and comprises a largely unfolded ensemble with transient occupancy of helical (α5*) and β-hairpin (β1*/β2*) elements. Backbone chemical shift-based structure predictions using the program CS-ROSETTA suggest that the two transient structural elements within the B state may interact with one another to form a semicompact structure. A' (~0.35%) is an off-pathway state that exchanges rapidly (τex ~ 1 ms) with state A and likely entails a minor localized conformational change in the β1/β2 loop. State B' (~0.3%) exchanges rapidly (τex ~ 1.2 ms) with state B and exhibits downfield 15N backbone shifts (relative to B) in the α5* region indicative of reduced helicity. Finally state B″ (~0.05%) exchanges rapidly (τex ~ 0.8 to 1 ms) with either B' (linear model) or B (branched model), displays significant differences in absolute 15N chemical shift from states B and B', and likely represents a further intermediate with increased helicity along the fold-switching pathway.

The Conformational Space of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Active Site Loops Is Determined by Ligand Binding and Interprotomer Allostery

The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for viral replication and is, therefore, an important drug target. Here, we investigate two flexible loops in Mpro that play a role in catalysis. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we analyze the structural ensemble of Mpro in an apo state and substrate-bound state. We find that the flexible loops can adopt open, intermediate (partly open), and closed conformations in solution, which differs from the partially closed state observed in crystal structures of Mpro. When the loops are in closed or intermediate states, the catalytic residues are more likely to be in close proximity, which is crucial for catalysis. Additionally, we find that substrate binding to one protomer of the homodimer increases the frequency of intermediate states in the bound protomer while also affecting the structural propensity of the apo protomer's flexible loops. Using dynamic network analysis, we identify multiple allosteric pathways connecting the two active sites of the homodimer. Common to these pathways is an allosteric hotspot involving the N-terminus, a critical region that comprises part of the binding pocket. Taken together, the results of our simulation study provide detailed insight into the relationships between the flexible loops and substrate binding in a prime drug target for COVID-19.

Conformational Plasticity of Parallel G-Quadruplex─Implications on Duplex-Quadruplex Motifs

DNA G-quadruplexes are essential motifs in molecular biology performing a wide range of functions enabled by their unique and diverse structures. In this study, we focus on the conformational plasticity of the most abundant and biologically relevant parallel G-quadruplex topology. A multipronged approach of structure survey, solution-state NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations unravels subtle yet essential features of the parallel G-quadruplex topology. Stark differences in flexibility are observed for the nucleotides depending upon their positioning in the tetrad planes that are intricately correlated with the conformational sampling of the propeller loop. Importantly, the terminal nucleotides in the 5'-end versus the 3'-end of the parallel quadruplex display differential dynamics that manifests their ability to accommodate a duplex on either end of the G-quadruplex. The conformational plasticity characterized in this study provides essential cues toward biomolecular processes such as small molecular binding, intermolecular quadruplex stacking, and implications on how a duplex influences the structure of a neighboring quadruplex.

Solution Structure Ensembles of the Open and Closed Forms of the ∼130 kDa Enzyme I via AlphaFold Modeling, Coarse Grained Simulations, and NMR

Large-scale interdomain rearrangements are essential to protein function, governing the activity of large enzymes and molecular machineries. Yet, obtaining an atomic-resolution understanding of how the relative domain positioning is affected by external stimuli is a hard task in modern structural biology. Here, we show that combining structural modeling by AlphaFold2 with coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and NMR residual dipolar coupling data is sufficient to characterize the spatial domain organization of bacterial enzyme I (EI), a ∼130 kDa multidomain oligomeric protein that undergoes large-scale conformational changes during its catalytic cycle. In particular, we solve conformational ensembles for EI at two different experimental temperatures and demonstrate that a lower temperature favors sampling of the catalytically competent closed state of the enzyme. These results suggest a role for conformational entropy in the activation of EI and demonstrate the ability of our protocol to detect and characterize the effect of external stimuli (such as mutations, ligand binding, and post-translational modifications) on the interdomain organization of multidomain proteins. We expect the ensemble refinement protocol described here to be easily transferrable to the investigation of the structure and dynamics of other uncharted multidomain systems and have assembled a Google Colab page (https://potoyangroup.github.io/Seq2Ensemble/) to facilitate implementation of the presented methodology elsewhere.

Reduced dynamic complexity allows structure elucidation of an excited state of KRASG13D

Localized dynamics of RAS, including regions distal to the nucleotide-binding site, is of high interest for elucidating the mechanisms by which RAS proteins interact with effectors and regulators and for designing inhibitors. Among several oncogenic mutants, methyl relaxation dispersion experiments reveal highly synchronized conformational dynamics in the active (GMPPNP-bound) KRAS^G13D, which suggests an exchange between two conformational states in solution. Methyl and ³¹P NMR spectra of active KRAS^G13D in solution confirm a two-state ensemble interconverting on the millisecond timescale, with a major P^γ atom peak corresponding to the dominant State 1 conformation and a secondary peak indicating an intermediate state different from the known State 2 conformation recognized by RAS effectors. High-resolution crystal structures of active KRAS^G13D and KRAS^G13D-RAF1 RBD complex provide snapshots of the State 1 and 2 conformations, respectively. We use residual dipolar couplings to solve and cross-validate the structure of the intermediate state of active KRAS^G13D, showing a conformation distinct from those of States 1 and 2 outside the known flexible switch regions. The dynamic coupling between the conformational exchange in the effector lobe and the breathing motion in the allosteric lobe is further validated by a secondary mutation in the allosteric lobe, which affects the conformational population equilibrium.

Validation of X-ray Crystal Structure Ensemble Representations of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease by Solution NMR Residual Dipolar Couplings

Considerable debate has focused on whether sampling of molecular dynamics trajectories restrained by crystallographic data can be used to develop realistic ensemble models for proteins in their natural, solution state. For the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, Mpro, we evaluated agreement between solution residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) and various recently reported multi-conformer and dynamic-ensemble crystallographic models. Although Phenix-derived ensemble models showed only small improvements in crystallographic Rfree, substantially improved RDC agreement over fits to a conventionally refined 1.2-Å X-ray structure was observed, in particular for residues with above average disorder in the ensemble. For a set of six lower resolution (1.55-2.19 Å) Mpro X-ray ensembles, obtained at temperatures ranging from 100 to 310 K, no significant improvement over conventional two-conformer representations was found. At the residue level, large differences in motions were observed among these ensembles, suggesting high uncertainties in the X-ray derived dynamics. Indeed, combining the six ensembles from the temperature series with the two 1.2-Å X-ray ensembles into a single 381-member "super ensemble" averaged these uncertainties and substantially improved agreement with RDCs. However, all ensembles showed excursions that were too large for the most dynamic fraction of residues. Our results suggest that further improvements to X-ray ensemble refinement are feasible, and that RDCs provide a sensitive benchmark in such endeavors. Remarkably, a weighted ensemble of 350 PDB Mpro X-ray structures provided slightly better cross-validated agreement with RDCs than any individual ensemble refinement, implying that differences in lattice confinement also limit the fit of RDCs to X-ray coordinates.

Zinc finger structure determination by NMR: Why zinc fingers can be a handful

Zinc fingers can be loosely defined as protein domains containing one or more tetrahedrally-co-ordinated zinc ions whose role is to stabilise the structure rather than to be involved in enzymatic chemistry; such zinc ions are often referred to as "structural zincs". Although structural zincs can occur in proteins of any size, they assume particular significance for very small protein domains, where they are often essential for maintaining a folded state. Such small structures, that sometimes have only marginal stability, can present particular difficulties in terms of sample preparation, handling and structure determination, and early on they gained a reputation for being resistant to crystallisation. As a result, NMR has played a more prominent role in structural studies of zinc finger proteins than it has for many other types of proteins. This review will present an overview of the particular issues that arise for structure determination of zinc fingers by NMR, and ways in which these may be addressed.

Peptide Model of the Mutant Proinsulin Syndrome. II. Nascent Structure and Biological Implications

Toxic misfolding of proinsulin variants in β-cells defines a monogenic diabetes syndrome, designated mutant INS-gene induced diabetes of the young (MIDY). In our first study (previous article in this issue), we described a one-disulfide peptide model of a proinsulin folding intermediate and its use to study such variants. The mutations (LeuB15→Pro, LeuA16→Pro, and PheB24→Ser) probe residues conserved among vertebrate insulins. In this companion study, we describe 1H and 1H-13C NMR studies of the peptides; key NMR resonance assignments were verified by synthetic 13C-labeling. Parent spectra retain nativelike features in the neighborhood of the single disulfide bridge (cystine B19-A20), including secondary NMR chemical shifts and nonlocal nuclear Overhauser effects. This partial fold engages wild-type side chains LeuB15, LeuA16 and PheB24 at the nexus of nativelike α-helices α1 and α3 (as defined in native proinsulin) and flanking β-strand (residues B24-B26). The variant peptides exhibit successive structural perturbations in order: parent (most organized) > SerB24 >> ProA16 > ProB15 (least organized). The same order pertains to (a) overall α-helix content as probed by circular dichroism, (b) synthetic yields of corresponding three-disulfide insulin analogs, and (c) ER stress induced in cell culture by corresponding mutant proinsulins. These findings suggest that this and related peptide models will provide a general platform for classification of MIDY mutations based on molecular mechanisms by which nascent disulfide pairing is impaired. We propose that the syndrome's variable phenotypic spectrum-onsets ranging from the neonatal period to later in childhood or adolescence-reflects structural features of respective folding intermediates.

A drug discovery toolbox for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) characterization of ligands and their targets

Information about the structure, dynamics, and ligand-binding properties of biomolecules can be derived from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and provides valuable information for drug discovery. A multitude of experimental approaches provides a wealth of information that can be tailored to the system of interest. Methods to study the behavior of ligands upon target binding enable the identification of weak binders in a robust manner that is critical for the identification of truly novel binding interactions. This is particularly important for challenging targets. Observing the solution behavior of biomolecules yields information about their structure, dynamics, and interactions. This review describes the breadth of approaches that are available, many of which are under-utilized in a drug-discovery environment, and focuses on recent advances that continue to emerge.

The Flexibility of Oligosaccharides Unveiled Through Residual Dipolar Coupling Analysis

The intrinsic flexibility of glycans complicates the study of their structures and dynamics, which are often important for their biological function. NMR has provided insights into the conformational, dynamic and recognition features of glycans, but suffers from severe chemical shift degeneracy. We employed labelled glycans to explore the conformational behaviour of a β(1-6)-Glc hexasaccharide model through residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). RDC delivered information on the relative orientation of specific residues along the glycan chain and provided experimental clues for the existence of certain geometries. The use of two different aligning media demonstrated the adaptability of flexible oligosaccharide structures to different environments.

Concordance of X-ray and AlphaFold2 Models of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease with Residual Dipolar Couplings Measured in Solution

The 68-kDa homodimeric 3C-like protease of SARS-CoV-2, Mpro (3CLpro/Nsp5), is a promising antiviral drug target. We evaluate the concordance of models generated by the newly introduced AlphaFold2 structure prediction program with residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) measured in solution for 15N-1HN and 13C'-1HN atom pairs. The latter were measured using a new, highly precise TROSY-AntiTROSY Encoded RDC (TATER) experiment. Three sets of AlphaFold2 models were evaluated: (1) MproAF, generated using the standard AlphaFold2 input structural database; (2) MproAFD, where the AlphaFold2 implementation was modified to exclude all candidate template X-ray structures deposited after Jan 1, 2020; and (3) MproAFS, which excluded all structures homologous to coronaviral Mpro. Close agreement between all three sets of AlphaFold models and experimental RDC data is found for most of the protein. For residues in well-defined secondary structure, the agreement decreases somewhat upon Amber relaxation. For these regions, MproAF agreement exceeds that of most high-resolution X-ray structures. Residues from domain 2 that comprise elements of both the active site and the homo-dimerization interface fit less well across all structures. These results indicate novel opportunities for combining experimentation with molecular dynamics simulations, where solution RDCs provide highly precise input for QM/MM simulations of substrate binding/reaction trajectories.

NMR hawk-eyed view of AlphaFold2 structures

The prediction of the three‐dimensional (3D) structure of proteins from the amino acid sequence made a stunning breakthrough reaching atomic accuracy. Using the neural network‐based method AlphaFold2, 3D structures of almost the entire human proteome have been predicted and made available (https://www.alphafold.ebi.ac.uk). To gain insight into how well AlphaFold2 structures represent the conformation of proteins in solution, I here compare the AlphaFold2 structures of selected small proteins with their 3D structures that were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Proteins were selected for which the 3D solution structures were determined on the basis of a very large number of distance restraints and residual dipolar couplings and are thus some of the best‐resolved solution structures of proteins to date. The quality of the backbone conformation of the AlphaFold2 structures is assessed by fitting a large set of experimental residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). The analysis shows that experimental RDCs fit extremely well to the AlphaFold2 structures predicted for GB3, DinI, and ubiquitin. In the case of GB3, the accuracy of the AlphaFold2 structure even surpasses that of a 1.1 Å crystal structure. Fitting of experimental RDCs furthermore allows identification of AlphaFold2 structures that are best representative of the protein's conformation in solution as seen for the EF hands of the N‐terminal domain of Ca²⁺‐ligated calmodulin. Taken together, the analysis shows that structures predicted by AlphaFold2 can be highly representative of the solution conformation of proteins. The combination of AlphaFold2 structures with RDCs promises to be a powerful approach to study structural changes in proteins.

Sparse isotope labeling for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of glycoproteins using 13C-glucose

Preparation of samples for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization of larger proteins requires enrichment with less abundant, NMR-active, isotopes such as 13C and 15N. This is routine for proteins that can be expressed in bacterial culture where low-cost isotopically enriched metabolic substrates can be used. However, it can be expensive for glycosylated proteins expressed in mammalian culture where more costly isotopically enriched amino acids are usually used. We describe a simple, relatively inexpensive procedure in which standard commercial media is supplemented with 13C-enriched glucose to achieve labeling of all glycans plus all alanines of the N-terminal domain of the highly glycosylated protein, CEACAM1. We demonstrate an ability to detect partially occupied N-glycan sites, sites less susceptible to processing by an endoglycosidase, and some unexpected truncation of the amino acid sequence. The labeling of both the protein (through alanines) and the glycans in a single culture requiring no additional technical expertise past standard mammalian expression requirements is anticipated to have several applications, including structural and functional screening of the many glycosylated proteins important to human health.

Chemical shifts-based similarity restraints improve accuracy of RNA structures determined via NMR

Determination of structure of RNA via NMR is complicated in large part by the lack of a precise parameterization linking the observed chemical shifts to the underlying geometric parameters. In contrast to proteins, where numerous high-resolution crystal structures serve as coordinate templates for this mapping, such models are rarely available for smaller oligonucleotides accessible via NMR, or they exhibit crystal packing and counter-ion binding artifacts that prevent their use for the chemical shifts analysis. On the other hand, NMR-determined structures of RNA often are not solved at the density of restraints required to precisely define the variable degrees of freedom. In this study we sidestep the problems of direct parameterization of the RNA chemical shifts/structure relationship and examine the effects of imposing local fragmental coordinate similarity restraints based on similarities of the experimental secondary ribose ¹³C/¹H chemical shifts instead. The effect of such chemical shift similarity (CSS) restraints on the structural accuracy is assessed via residual dipolar coupling (RDC)-based cross-validation. Improvements in the coordinate accuracy are observed for all of the six RNA constructs considered here as test cases, which argues for routine inclusion of these terms during NMR-based oligonucleotide structure determination. Such accuracy improvements are expected to facilitate derivation of the chemical shift/structure relationships for RNA.

Proline-rich domain of human ALIX contains multiple TSG101-UEV interaction sites and forms phosphorylation-mediated reversible amyloids

Proline-rich domains (PRDs) are among the most prevalent signaling modules of eukaryotes but often unexplored by biophysical techniques as their heterologous recombinant expression poses significant difficulties. Using a "divide-and-conquer" approach, we present a detailed investigation of a PRD (166 residues; ∼30% prolines) belonging to a human protein ALIX, a versatile adaptor protein involved in essential cellular processes including ESCRT-mediated membrane remodeling, cell adhesion, and apoptosis. In solution, the N-terminal fragment of ALIX-PRD is dynamically disordered. It contains three tandem sequentially similar proline-rich motifs that compete for a single binding site on its signaling partner, TSG101-UEV, as evidenced by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. Global fitting of relaxation dispersion data, measured as a function of TSG101-UEV concentration, allowed precise quantitation of these interactions. In contrast to the soluble N-terminal portion, the C-terminal tyrosine-rich fragment of ALIX-PRD forms amyloid fibrils and viscous gels validated using dye-binding assays with amyloid-specific probes, congo red and thioflavin T (ThT), and visualized by transmission electron microscopy. Remarkably, fibrils dissolve at low temperatures (2 to 6 °C) or upon hyperphosphorylation with Src kinase. Aggregation kinetics monitored by ThT fluorescence shows that charge repulsion dictates phosphorylation-mediated fibril dissolution and that the hydrophobic effect drives fibril formation. These data illuminate the mechanistic interplay between interactions of ALIX-PRD with TSG101-UEV and polymerization of ALIX-PRD and its central role in regulating ALIX function. This study also demonstrates the broad functional repertoires of PRDs and uncovers the impact of posttranslational modifications in the modulation of reversible amyloids.

HERMES - A Software Tool for the Prediction and Analysis of Magnetic-Field-Induced Residual Dipolar Couplings in Nucleic Acids

Field-Induced Residual Dipolar Couplings (fiRDC) are a valuable source of long-range information on structure of nucleic acids (NA) in solution. A web application (HERMES) was developed for structure-based prediction and analysis of the (fiRDCs) in NA. fiRDC prediction is based on input 3D model structure(s) of NA and a built-in library of nucleobase-specific magnetic susceptibility tensors and reference geometries. HERMES allows three basic applications: (i) the prediction of fiRDCs for a given structural model of NAs, (ii) the validation of experimental or modeled NA structures using experimentally derived fiRDCs, and (iii) assessment of the oligomeric state of the NA fragment and/or the identification of a molecular NA model that is consistent with experimentally derived fiRDC data. Additionally, the program's built-in routine for rigid body modeling allows the evaluation of relative orientation of domains within NA that is in agreement with experimental fiRDCs.

Signaling Mechanism of Phytochromes in Solution

Phytochrome proteins guide the red/far-red photoresponse of plants, fungi, and bacteria. Crystal structures suggest that the mechanism of signal transduction from the chromophore to the output domains involves refolding of the so-called PHY tongue. It is currently not clear how the two other notable structural features of the phytochrome superfamily, the so-called helical spine and a knot in the peptide chain, are involved in photoconversion. Here, we present solution NMR data of the complete photosensory core module from Deinococcus radiodurans. Photoswitching between the resting and the active states induces changes in amide chemical shifts, residual dipolar couplings, and relaxation dynamics. All observables indicate a photoinduced structural change in the knot region and lower part of the helical spine. This implies that a conformational signal is transduced from the chromophore to the helical spine through the PAS and GAF domains. The discovered pathway underpins functional studies of plant phytochromes and may explain photosensing by phytochromes under biological conditions.

Hierarchical Conformational Dynamics Confers Thermal Adaptability to preQ1 RNA Riboswitches

Single-stranded noncoding regulatory RNAs, as exemplified by bacterial riboswitches, are highly dynamic. The conformational dynamics allow the riboswitch to reach maximum switching efficiency under appropriate conditions. Here we characterize the conformational dynamics of preQ₁ riboswitches from mesophilic and thermophilic bacterial species at various temperatures. With the integrative use of small-angle X-ray scattering, NMR, and molecular dynamics simulations, we model the ensemble-structures of the preQ₁ riboswitch aptamers without or with a ligand bound. We show that the preQ₁ riboswitch is sufficiently dynamic and fluctuating among multiple folding intermediates only near the physiological temperature of the microorganism. The hierarchical folding dynamics of the RNA involves the docking of 3'-tail to form a second RNA helix and the helical stacking to form an H-type pseudoknot structure. Further, we show that RNA secondary and tertiary dynamics can be modulated by temperature and by the length of an internal loop. The coupled equilibria between RNA folding intermediates are essential for preQ₁ binding, and a four-state exchange model can account for the change of ligand-triggered switching efficiency with temperature. Together, we have established a relationship between the hierarchical dynamics and riboswitch function, and illustrated how the RNA adapts to high temperature.

Structural and biophysical characterization of the type VII collagen vWFA2 subdomain leads to identification of two binding sites

Type VII collagen is an extracellular matrix protein, which is important for skin stability; however, detailed information at the molecular level is scarce. The second vWFA (von Willebrand factor type A) domain of type VII collagen mediates important interactions, and immunization of mice induces skin blistering in certain strains. To understand vWFA2 function and the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to skin blistering, we structurally characterized this domain by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. Cell adhesion assays identified two new interactions: one with β1 integrin via its RGD motif and one with laminin-332. The latter interaction was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance with a K_D of about 1 mm. These data show that vWFA2 has additional functions in the extracellular matrix besides interacting with type I collagen.

Residual Dipolar Couplings for Resolving Cysteine Bridges in Disulfide-Rich Peptides

Disulfide bridges in proteins are formed by the oxidation of pairs of cysteine residues. These cross-links play a critical role in stabilizing the 3D-structure of small disulfide rich polypeptides such as hormones and venom toxins. The arrangement of the multiple disulfide bonds directs the peptide fold into distinct structural motifs that have evolved for resistance against biochemical and physical insults. These structural scaffolds have, therefore, proven to be very attractive in bioengineering efforts to develop novel biologics with applications in health and agriculture. Structural characterization of small disulfide rich peptides (DRPs) presents unique challenges when using commonly applied biophysical methods. NMR is the most commonly used method for studying such molecules, where the relatively small size of these molecules results in highly precise structural ensembles defined by a large number of distance and dihedral angle restraints per amino acid. However, in NMR the sulfur atoms that are involved in three of the five dihedral angles in a disulfide bond cannot be readily measured. Given the central role of disulfide bonds in the structure of these molecules, it is unclear what the inherent resolution of such NMR structures is when using traditional NMR methods. Here, we use an extensive set of long-range residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) to assess the resolution of the NMR structure of a disulfide-rich peptide. We find that structures based primarily on NOEs, yield ensembles that are equivalent to a crystallographic resolution of 2-3 Å in resolution, and that incorporation of RDCs reduces this to ~1-1.5 Å resolution. At this resolution the sidechain of ordered amino acids can be defined accurately, allowing the geometry of the cysteine bridges to be better defined, and allowing for disulfide-bond connectivities to be determined with high confidence. The observed improvements in resolution when using RDCs is remarkable considering the small size of these peptides.

Unraveling the structure and dynamics of the human DNAJB6b chaperone by NMR reveals insights into Hsp40-mediated proteostasis

J-domain chaperones are involved in the efficient handover of misfolded/partially folded proteins to Hsp70 but also function independently to protect against cell death. Due to their high flexibility, the mechanism by which they regulate the Hsp70 cycle and how specific substrate recognition is performed remains unknown. Here we focus on DNAJB6b, which has been implicated in various human diseases and represents a key player in protection against neurodegeneration and protein aggregation. Using a variant that exists mainly in a monomeric form, we report the solution structure of an Hsp40 containing not only the J and C-terminal substrate binding (CTD) domains but also the functionally important linkers. The structure reveals a highly dynamic protein in which part of the linker region masks the Hsp70 binding site. Transient interdomain interactions via regions crucial for Hsp70 binding create a closed, autoinhibited state and help retain the monomeric form of the protein. Detailed NMR analysis shows that the CTD (but not the J domain) self-associates to form an oligomer comprising ∼35 monomeric units, revealing an intricate balance between intramolecular and intermolecular interactions. The results shed light on the mechanism of autoregulation of the Hsp70 cycle via conserved parts of the linker region and reveal the mechanism of DNAJB6b oligomerization and potentially antiaggregation.

Functional protein dynamics on uncharted time scales detected by nanoparticle-assisted NMR spin relaxation

Protein function depends critically on intrinsic internal dynamics, which is manifested in distinct ways, such as loop motions that regulate protein recognition and catalysis. Under physiological conditions, dynamic processes occur on a wide range of time scales from subpicoseconds to seconds. Commonly used NMR spin relaxation in solution provides valuable information on very fast and slow motions but is insensitive to the intermediate nanosecond to microsecond range that exceeds the protein tumbling correlation time. Presently, very little is known about the nature and functional role of these motions. It is demonstrated here how transverse spin relaxation becomes exquisitely sensitive to these motions at atomic resolution when studying proteins in the presence of nanoparticles. Application of this novel cross-disciplinary approach reveals large-scale dynamics of loops involved in functionally critical protein-protein interactions and protein-calcium ion recognition that were previously unobservable.

Solution NMR Spectroscopy for the Determination of Structures of Membrane Proteins in a Lipid Environment

NMR spectroscopy has harnessed the recent technical advances to emerge as a competitive, elegant, and eminently viable technique for determining the solution structures of membrane proteins at the level of atomic resolution. Once a good level of cell-based or cell-free expression and purification of a suitably sized membrane protein has been achieved, then NMR offers a combination of several versatile strategies, for example choice of appropriate deuterated or nondeuterated detergents, temperature, and ionic strength; isotope labeling with ²H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N, with or without protonation of Ile (δ1), Leu, and Val methyl protons; combinatorial labeling or unlabeling of specific amino acids; TROSY based-, nonuniform sampling (NUS) based-, and other NMR experiments; measurement of residual dipolar couplings using stretched polyacrylamide gels or DNA nanotubes; spin labeling and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements (PRE). Strategic combinations of these advancements together with availability of highly sensitive cryogenically cooled-probes equipped high-field NMR spectrometers (up to 1 GHz ¹H frequency) have allowed the perseverant investigator to successfully overcome several of the conventional pitfalls associated with the NMR technique and membrane proteins, viz., low sensitivity, poor sample stability, spectral crowding, and a limited number of NOEs and other constraints for structure calculations. This has resulted in an unprecedented growth in the number of successfully determined NMR structures of large and complex membrane proteins over the last two decades, and this technique now holds great promise for the structure determination of an ever larger body of membrane proteins.

Active Site Breathing of Human Alkbh5 Revealed by Solution NMR and Accelerated Molecular Dynamics

AlkB homolog 5 (Alkbh5) is one of nine members of the AlkB family, which are nonheme Fe²⁺/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases that catalyze the oxidative demethylation of modified nucleotides and amino acids. Alkbh5 is highly selective for the N⁶-methyladenosine modification, an epigenetic mark that has spawned significant biological and pharmacological interest because of its involvement in important physiological processes, such as carcinogenesis and stem cell differentiation. Herein, we investigate the structure and dynamics of human Alkbh5 in solution. By using ¹⁵N and ¹³C_methyl relaxation dispersion and ¹⁵N-R₁ and R_1ρ NMR experiments, we show that the active site of apo Alkbh5 experiences conformational dynamics on multiple timescales. Consistent with this observation, backbone amide residual dipolar couplings measured for Alkbh5 in phage pf1 are inconsistent with the static crystal structure of the enzyme. We developed a simple approach that combines residual dipolar coupling data and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to calculate a conformational ensemble of Alkbh5 that is fully consistent with the experimental NMR data. Our structural model reveals that Alkbh5 is more disordered in solution than what is observed in the crystal state and undergoes breathing motions that expand the active site and allow access to α-ketoglutarate. Disordered-to-ordered conformational changes induced by sequential substrate/cofactor binding events have been often invoked to interpret biochemical data on the activity and specificity of AlkB proteins. The structural ensemble reported in this work provides the first atomic-resolution model of an AlkB protein in its disordered conformational state to our knowledge.

Dynamics of the Proline-Rich C-Terminus of Huntingtin Exon-1 Fibrils

Intrinsically disordered protein domains not only are found in soluble proteins but also can be part of large protein complexes or protein aggregates. For example, several amyloid fibrils have intrinsically disordered domains framing a rigid β-sheet-rich core. These disordered domains can often be observed using solution NMR methods in combination with modest magic angle spinning and without perdeuteration. But how can these regions be detected using solution NMR methods when they are part of a fibril that is not tumbling isotropically in solution? Here we addressed this question by investigating the dynamic C-terminus of huntingtin exon-1 (HTT_ex1) fibrils that are important in Huntington's disease. We assigned the most dynamic regions of the C-terminus of three HTT_ex1 variants. On the basis of this assignment, we measured site-specific secondary chemical shifts, peak intensities, and R₁, R'₂, and R_1ρ ¹⁵N relaxation rates. In addition, we determined the residual ¹H-¹⁵N dipolar couplings of this region. Our results show that the dipolar couplings are averaged to a very high degree, resulting in an order parameter that is essentially zero. Together, our data show that the C-terminus of HTT_ex1 is intrinsically disordered and undergoes motions in the high picosecond to low nanosecond range.

Probing Protein-Protein Interactions Using Asymmetric Labeling and Carbonyl-Carbon Selective Heteronuclear NMR Spectroscopy

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) regulate a plethora of cellular processes and NMR spectroscopy has been a leading technique for characterizing them at the atomic resolution. Technically, however, PPIs characterization has been challenging due to multiple samples required to characterize the hot spots at the protein interface. In this paper, we review our recently developed methods that greatly simplify PPI studies, which minimize the number of samples required to fully characterize residues involved in the protein-protein binding interface. This original strategy combines asymmetric labeling of two binding partners and the carbonyl-carbon label selective (CCLS) pulse sequence element implemented into the heteronuclear single quantum correlation (¹H-15N HSQC) spectra. The CCLS scheme removes signals of the J-coupled 15N⁻13C resonances and records simultaneously two individual amide fingerprints for each binding partner. We show the application to the measurements of chemical shift correlations, residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements (PRE). These experiments open an avenue for further modifications of existing experiments facilitating the NMR analysis of PPIs.

Spectroscopic methods to analyze drug metabolites

Drug metabolites have been monitored with various types of newly developed techniques and/or combination of common analytical methods, which could provide a great deal of information on metabolite profiling. Because it is not easy to analyze whole drug metabolites qualitatively and quantitatively, a single solution of analytical techniques is combined in a multilateral manner to cover the widest range of drug metabolites. Mass-based spectroscopic analysis of drug metabolites has been expanded with the help of other parameter-based methods. The current development of metabolism studies through contemporary pharmaceutical research are reviewed with an overview on conventionally used spectroscopic methods. Several technical approaches for conducting drug metabolic profiling through spectroscopic methods are discussed in depth.

Utilizing tagged paramagnetic shift reagents to monitor protein dynamics by NMR

Calmodulin is a ubiquitous calcium sensor protein, known to serve as a critical interaction hub with a wide range of signaling partners. While the holo form of calmodulin (CaM-4Ca²⁺) has a well-defined ground state structure, it has been shown to undergo exchange, on a millisecond timescale, to a conformation resembling that of the peptide bound state. Tagged paramagnetic relaxation agents have been previously used to identify long-range dipolar interactions through relaxation effects on nuclear spins of interest. In the case of calmodulin, this lead to the determination of the relative orientation of the N- and C-terminal domains and the presence of a weakly populated peptide bound like state. Here, we make use of pseudocontact shifts from a tagged paramagnetic shift reagent which allows us to define minor states both in ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR spectra and through ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-edited ¹H-CPMG relaxation dispersion measurements. This is validated by pulsed EPR (DEER) spectroscopy which reveals an ensemble consisting of a compact peptide-bound like conformer, an intermediate peptide-bound like conformer, and a (dumbbell-like) extended ground state conformer of CaM-4Ca²⁺, where addition of the MLCK peptide increases the population of the peptide-bound conformers. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biophysics in Canada, edited by Lewis Kay, John Baenziger, Albert Berghuis and Peter Tieleman.

Progressive Stereo Locking (PSL): A Residual Dipolar Coupling Based Force Field Method for Determining the Relative Configuration of Natural Products and Other Small Molecules

Establishing the relative configuration of a bioactive natural product represents the most challenging part in determining its structure. Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) are sensitive probes of the relative spatial orientation of internuclear vectors. We adapted a force field structure calculation methodology to allow free sampling of both R and S configurations of the stereocenters of interest. The algorithm uses a floating alignment tensor in a simulated annealing protocol to identify the conformations and configurations that best fit experimental RDC and distance restraints (from NOE and J-coupling data). A unique configuration (for rigid molecules) or a very small number of configurations (for less rigid molecules) of the structural models having the lowest chiral angle energies and reasonable magnitudes of the alignment tensor are provided as the best predictions of the unknown configuration. For highly flexible molecules, the progressive locking of their stereocenters into their statistically dominant R or S state dramatically reduces the number of possible relative configurations. The result is verified by checking that the same configuration is obtained by initiating the locking from different regions of the molecule. For all molecules tested having known configurations (with conformations ranging from mostly rigid to highly flexible), the method accurately determined the correct configuration.

Hybrid NMR: A Union of Solution- and Solid-State NMR

Hybrid NMR (hdNMR) is a powerful new tool that combines the strengths of solution- and solid-state NMR to measure dipolar, chemical shift, and quadrupolar tensors in aqueous solution. We introduce the theory of hdNMR and partially randomly oriented (PRO) crystalline hydrogel samples. PRO samples produce randomly oriented spectra with characteristic Pake patterns from the solid state, yet they maintain the high-resolution dispersion of solution NMR experiments. With new pulse sequences, we show how hdNMR can be used to measure with high precision the ¹H^α-¹³C^α dipolar tensor and carboxylate chemical shift anisotropy tensor of aspartate. These measurements contain detailed information on the distribution of electron density, interatomic distances, and the orientation dependence of molecular motion.

Nanodiscs in Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics

Membrane proteins play a most important part in metabolism, signaling, cell motility, transport, development, and many other biochemical and biophysical processes which constitute fundamentals of life on the molecular level. Detailed understanding of these processes is necessary for the progress of life sciences and biomedical applications. Nanodiscs provide a new and powerful tool for a broad spectrum of biochemical and biophysical studies of membrane proteins and are commonly acknowledged as an optimal membrane mimetic system that provides control over size, composition, and specific functional modifications on the nanometer scale. In this review we attempted to combine a comprehensive list of various applications of nanodisc technology with systematic analysis of the most attractive features of this system and advantages provided by nanodiscs for structural and mechanistic studies of membrane proteins.

Di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMEMA)-derived gels align small organic molecules in methanol

Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) constitute an important NMR parameter for structural elucidation in all areas of chemistry. In this study, di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMEMA)-based gels are introduced as alignment media for the measurement of RDCs of small organic molecules in polar solvents such as methanol. The low viscosity of methanol permits the execution of J-scaled BIRD HSQC experiments that yield very sharp lines in anisotropic conditions. The gels have excellent mechanical properties, and their compression and expansion in the swollen state can be reversed and performed multiple times. This process enables the easy loading and release of analytes. The excellent performance of these new aligning gels is demonstrated by analyzing the structure of the alkaloid retrorsine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Structural biology of supramolecular assemblies by magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

In recent years, exciting developments in instrument technology and experimental methodology have advanced the field of magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to new heights. Contemporary MAS NMR yields atomic-level insights into structure and dynamics of an astounding range of biological systems, many of which cannot be studied by other methods. With the advent of fast MAS, proton detection, and novel pulse sequences, large supramolecular assemblies, such as cytoskeletal proteins and intact viruses, are now accessible for detailed analysis. In this review, we will discuss the current MAS NMR methodologies that enable characterization of complex biomolecular systems and will present examples of applications to several classes of assemblies comprising bacterial and mammalian cytoskeleton as well as human immunodeficiency virus 1 and bacteriophage viruses. The body of work reviewed herein is representative of the recent advancements in the field, with respect to the complexity of the systems studied, the quality of the data, and the significance to the biology.

Structural Studies of a Rationally Selected Multi-Drug Resistant HIV-1 Protease Reveal Synergistic Effect of Distal Mutations on Flap Dynamics

We report structural analysis of HIV protease variant PR^S17 which was rationally selected by machine learning to represent wide classes of highly drug-resistant variants. Crystal structures were solved of PR^S17 in the inhibitor-free form and in complex with antiviral inhibitor, darunavir. Despite its 17 mutations, PR^S17 has only one mutation (V82S) in the inhibitor/substrate binding cavity, yet exhibits high resistance to all clinical inhibitors. PR^S17 has none of the major mutations (I47V, I50V, I54ML, L76V and I84V) associated with darunavir resistance, but has 10,000-fold weaker binding affinity relative to the wild type PR. Comparable binding affinity of 8000-fold weaker than PR is seen for drug resistant mutant PR20, which bears 3 mutations associated with major resistance to darunavir (I47V, I54L and I84V). Inhibitor-free PR^S17 shows an open flap conformation with a curled tip correlating with G48V flap mutation. NMR studies on inactive PR^S17_D25N unambiguously confirm that the flaps adopt mainly an open conformation in solution very similar to that in the inhibitor-free crystal structure. In PR^S17, the hinge loop cluster of mutations, E35D, M36I and S37D, contributes to the altered flap dynamics by a mechanism similar to that of PR20. An additional K20R mutation anchors an altered conformation of the hinge loop. Flap mutations M46L and G48V in PR^S17/DRV complex alter the Phe53 conformation by steric hindrance between the side chains. Unlike the L10F mutation in PR20, L10I in PR^S17 does not break the inter-subunit ion pair or diminish the dimer stability, consistent with a very low dimer dissociation constant comparable to that of wild type PR. Distal mutations A71V, L90M and I93L propagate alterations to the catalytic site of PR^S17. PR^S17 exhibits a molecular mechanism whereby mutations act synergistically to alter the flap dynamics resulting in significantly weaker binding yet maintaining active site contacts with darunavir.

Glycosylation Alters Dimerization Properties of a Cell-surface Signaling Protein, Carcinoembryonic Antigen-related Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (CEACAM1)

Human carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (C?/Au: EACAM1) is a cell-surface signaling molecule involved in cell adhesion, proliferation, and immune response. It is also implicated in cancer angiogenesis, progression, and metastasis. This diverse set of effects likely arises as a result of the numerous homophilic and heterophilic interactions that CEACAM1 can have with itself and other molecules. Its N-terminal Ig variable (IgV) domain has been suggested to be a principal player in these interactions. Previous crystal structures of the β-sandwich-like IgV domain have been produced using Escherichia coli-expressed material, which lacks native glycosylation. These have led to distinctly different proposals for dimer interfaces, one involving interactions of ABED β-strands and the other involving GFCC'C″ β-strands, with the former burying one prominent glycosylation site. These structures raise questions as to which form may exist in solution and what the effect of glycosylation may have on this form. Here, we use NMR cross-correlation measurements to examine the effect of glycosylation on CEACAM1-IgV dimerization and use residual dipolar coupling (RDC) measurements to characterize the solution structure of the non-glycosylated form. Our findings demonstrate that even addition of a single N-linked GlcNAc at potential glycosylation sites inhibits dimer formation. Surprisingly, RDC data collected on E. coli expressed material in solution indicate that a dimer using the non-glycosylated GFCC'C″ interface is preferred even in the absence of glycosylation. The results open new questions about what other factors may facilitate dimerization of CEACAM1 in vivo, and what roles glycosylation may play in heterophylic interactions.

Dynamical Structures of Hsp70 and Hsp70-Hsp40 Complexes

Protein misfolding and aggregation are pathological events that place a significant amount of stress on the maintenance of protein homeostasis (proteostasis). For prevention and repair of protein misfolding and aggregation, cells are equipped with robust mechanisms that mainly rely on molecular chaperones. Two classes of molecular chaperones, heat shock protein 70 kDa (Hsp70) and Hsp40, recognize and bind to misfolded proteins, preventing their toxic biomolecular aggregation and enabling refolding or targeted degradation. Here, we review the current state of structural biology of Hsp70 and Hsp40-Hsp70 complexes and examine the link between their structures, dynamics, and functions. We highlight the power of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to untangle complex relationships behind molecular chaperones and their mechanism(s) of action.

Solution NMR Spectroscopy for the Study of Enzyme Allostery

Allostery is a ubiquitous biological regulatory process in which distant binding sites within a protein or enzyme are functionally and thermodynamically coupled. Allosteric interactions play essential roles in many enzymological mechanisms, often facilitating formation of enzyme-substrate complexes and/or product release. Thus, elucidating the forces that drive allostery is critical to understanding the complex transformations of biomolecules. Currently, a number of models exist to describe allosteric behavior, taking into account energetics as well as conformational rearrangements and fluctuations. In the following Review, we discuss the use of solution NMR techniques designed to probe allosteric mechanisms in enzymes. NMR spectroscopy is unequaled in its ability to detect structural and dynamical changes in biomolecules, and the case studies presented herein demonstrate the range of insights to be gained from this valuable method. We also provide a detailed technical discussion of several specialized NMR experiments that are ideally suited for the study of enzymatic allostery.

Hybrid Approaches to Structural Characterization of Conformational Ensembles of Complex Macromolecular Systems Combining NMR Residual Dipolar Couplings and Solution X-ray Scattering

Solving structures or structural ensembles of large macromolecular systems in solution poses a challenging problem. While NMR provides structural information at atomic resolution, increased spectral complexity, chemical shift overlap, and short transverse relaxation times (associated with slow tumbling) render application of the usual techniques that have been so successful for medium sized systems (<50 kDa) difficult. Solution X-ray scattering, on the other hand, is not limited by molecular weight but only provides low resolution structural information related to the overall shape and size of the system under investigation. Here we review how combining atomic resolution structures of smaller domains with sparse experimental data afforded by NMR residual dipolar couplings (which yield both orientational and shape information) and solution X-ray scattering data in rigid-body simulated annealing calculations provides a powerful approach for investigating the structural aspects of conformational dynamics in large multidomain proteins. The application of this hybrid methodology is illustrated for the 128 kDa dimer of bacterial Enzyme I which exists in a variety of open and closed states that are sampled at various points in the catalytic cycles, and for the capsid protein of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Doped ionic liquid crystals as effective weakly alignment media for polar solutes

The ionic liquid crystal 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate slightly doped with water is presented as a promising NMR alignment medium for the measurement of residual dipolar couplings for polar molecules dissolved therein.

Membrane Fusion and Infection of the Influenza Hemagglutinin

The influenza virus is a major health concern associated with an estimated 5000 to 30,000 deaths every year (Reed et al. 2015) and a significant economic impact with the development of treatments, vaccinations and research (Molinari et al. 2007). The entirety of the influenza genome is comprised of only eleven coding genes. An enormous degree of variation in non-conserved regions leads to significant challenges in the development of inclusive inhibitors for treatment. The fusion peptide domain of the influenza A hemagglutinin (HA) is a promising candidate for treatment since it is one of the most highly conserved sequences in the influenza genome (Heiny et al. 2007), and it is vital to the viral life cycle. Hemagglutinin is a class I viral fusion protein that catalyzes the membrane fusion process during cellular entry and infection. Impediment of the hemagglutinin's function, either through incomplete post-translational processing (Klenk et al. 1975; Lazarowitz and Choppin 1975) or through mutations (Cross et al. 2001), leads to non-infective virus particles. This review will investigate current research on the role of hemagglutinin in the virus life cycle, its structural biology and mechanism as well as the central role of the hemagglutinin fusion peptide (HAfp) to influenza membrane fusion and infection.

Protocol To Make Protein NMR Structures Amenable to Stable Long Time Scale Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A robust protocol for the treatment of NMR protein structures is presented that makes them amenable to long time scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that are stable. The protocol embeds an NMR structure in a native low energy region of the recently developed ff99SB_φψ(g24;CS) molecular mechanics force field. Extended MD trajectories that start from these structures show good consistency with proton-proton nuclear Overhauser effect data, and they reproduce NMR chemical shift data better than the original NMR structures as is demonstrated for four protein systems. Moreover, for all proteins studied here the simulations spontaneously approach the X-ray crystal structures, thereby improving the effective resolution of the initial structural models.

Restoring Resolution in Biological Solid-State NMR under Conditions of Off-Magic-Angle Spinning

Spin-state-selective excitation (S3E) experiments allow the selection of individual transitions in a coupled two spin system. We show that in the solid state, the dipole-dipole interaction (DD) between (15)N and (1)H in a (1)H-(15)N bond and the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) of (15)N in an amide moiety mutually cancel each other for a particular multiplet component at high field, when the sample is spun off the magic angle (Arctan [√2] = 54.74°). The accuracy of the adjustment of the spinning angle is crucial in conventional experiments. We demonstrate that for S3E experiments, the requirement to spin the sample exactly at the magic angle is not mandatory. Applications of solid state NMR in narrow bore magnets will be facilitated where the adjustment of the magic angle is often difficult. The method opens new perspectives for the development of schemes to determine distances and to quantify dynamics in the solid state.

Investigating protein conformational energy landscapes and atomic resolution dynamics from NMR dipolar couplings: a review

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is exquisitely sensitive to protein dynamics. In particular inter-nuclear dipolar couplings, that become measurable in solution when the protein is dissolved in a dilute liquid crystalline solution, report on all conformations sampled up to millisecond timescales. As such they provide the opportunity to describe the Boltzmann distribution present in solution at atomic resolution, and thereby to map the conformational energy landscape in unprecedented detail. The development of analytical methods and approaches based on numerical simulation and their application to numerous biologically important systems is presented.

Structural Basis of Detection and Signaling of DNA Single-Strand Breaks by Human PARP-1

Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is a key eukaryotic stress sensor that responds in seconds to DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs), the most frequent genomic damage. A burst of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis initiates DNA damage response, whereas PARP-1 inhibition kills BRCA-deficient tumor cells selectively, providing the first anti-cancer therapy based on synthetic lethality. However, the mechanism underlying PARP-1’s function remained obscure; inherent dynamics of SSBs and PARP-1’s multi-domain architecture hindered structural studies. Here we reveal the structural basis of SSB detection and how multi-domain folding underlies the allosteric switch that determines PARP-1’s signaling response. Two flexibly linked N-terminal zinc fingers recognize the extreme deformability of SSBs and drive co-operative, stepwise self-assembly of remaining PARP-1 domains to control the activity of the C-terminal catalytic domain. Automodifcation in cis explains the subsequent release of monomeric PARP-1 from DNA, allowing repair and replication to proceed. Our results provide a molecular framework for understanding PARP inhibitor action and, more generally, allosteric control of dynamic, multi-domain proteins.

•

We identify the structural basis of DNA single-strand break detection by PARP-1

•

An NMR/X-ray approach reveals how multi-domain allostery underlies activity switch

•

The molecular model of PARP-1 assembly couples damage detection to PAR signaling

•

Automodification in cis releases enzyme so DNA repair and replication can proceed

A rigid lanthanide binding tag to aid NMR studies of a 70 kDa homodimeric coat protein of human norovirus

Attachment of human noroviruses to histo blood group antigens is thought to be essential for infection of host cells. Molecular details of the attachment process can be studied in vitro using a variety of NMR experiments. The use of protein NMR based experiments requires assignments of backbone NMR signals. Using uniformly (2)H,(15)N-labeled protruding domains (P-dimers) of a prevalent epidemic human norovirus strain (GII.4 Saga) we have studied the potential of α-l-fucose covalently linked to a rigid lanthanide binding tag to aid backbone assignments using the paramagnetic properties of lanthanide ions. The synthesis of tagged α-l-fucose is reported. Notably, the metal chelating unit connects to the carbohydrate via a triazole linker constructed using click chemistry.

Spatial reorientation experiments for NMR of solids and partially oriented liquids

Motional reorientation experiments are extensions of Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) where the rotor axis is changed in order to average out, reintroduce, or scale anisotropic interactions (e.g. dipolar couplings, quadrupolar interactions or chemical shift anisotropies). This review focuses on Variable Angle Spinning (VAS), Switched Angle Spinning (SAS), and Dynamic Angle Spinning (DAS), all of which involve spinning at two or more different angles sequentially, either in successive experiments or during a multidimensional experiment. In all of these experiments, anisotropic terms in the Hamiltonian are scaled by changing the orientation of the spinning sample relative to the static magnetic field. These experiments vary in experimental complexity and instrumentation requirements. In VAS, many one-dimensional spectra are collected as a function of spinning angle. In SAS, dipolar couplings and/or chemical shift anisotropies are reintroduced by switching the sample between two different angles, often 0° or 90° and the magic angle, yielding a two-dimensional isotropic-anisotropic correlation spectrum. Dynamic Angle Spinning (DAS) is a related experiment that is used to simultaneously average out the first- and second-order quadrupolar interactions, which cannot be accomplished by spinning at any unique rotor angle in physical space. Although motional reorientation experiments generally require specialized instrumentation and data analysis schemes, some are accessible with only minor modification of standard MAS probes. In this review, the mechanics of each type of experiment are described, with representative examples. Current and historical probe and coil designs are discussed from the standpoint of how each one accomplishes the particular objectives of the experiment(s) it was designed to perform. Finally, applications to inorganic materials and liquid crystals, which present very different experimental challenges, are discussed. The review concludes with perspectives on how motional reorientation experiments can be applied to current problems in chemistry, molecular biology, and materials science, given the many advances in high-field NMR magnets, fast spinning, and sample preparation realized in recent years.

Pressure-induced structural transition of mature HIV-1 protease from a combined NMR/MD simulation approach

We investigate the pressure-induced structural changes in the mature human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease dimer, using residual dipolar coupling (RDC) measurements in a weakly oriented solution. (1)DNH RDCs were measured under high-pressure conditions for an inhibitor-free PR and an inhibitor-bound complex, as well as for an inhibitor-free multidrug resistant protease bearing 20 mutations (PR20). While PR20 and the inhibitor-bound PR were little affected by pressure, inhibitor-free PR showed significant differences in the RDCs measured at 600 bar compared with 1 bar. The structural basis of such changes was investigated by MD simulations using the experimental RDC restraints, revealing substantial conformational perturbations, specifically a partial opening of the flaps and the penetration of water molecules into the hydrophobic core of the subunits at high pressure. This study highlights the exquisite sensitivity of RDCs to pressure-induced conformational changes and illustrates how RDCs combined with MD simulations can be used to determine the structural properties of metastable intermediate states on the folding energy landscape.