Measurements of side-chain 13C-13C residual dipolar couplings in uniformly deuterated proteins

13C Direct Detected NMR for Challenging Systems

Thanks to recent improvements in NMR spectrometer hardware and pulse sequence design, modern ¹³C NMR has become a useful tool for biomolecular applications. The complete assignment of a protein can be accomplished by using ¹³C detected multinuclear experiments and it can provide unique information relevant for the study of a variety of different biomolecules including paramagnetic proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins. A wide range of NMR observables can be measured, concurring to the structural and dynamic characterization of a protein in isolation, as part of a larger complex, or even inside a living cell. We present the different properties of ¹³C with respect to ¹H, which provide the rationale for the experiments developed and their application, the technical aspects that need to be faced, and the many experimental variants designed to address different cases. Application areas where these experiments successfully complement proton NMR are also described.

Improving the chemical shift dispersion of multidimensional NMR spectra of intrinsically disordered proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) have recently attracted the attention of the scientific community challenging the well accepted structure-function paradigm. In the characterization of the dynamic features of proteins nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is a strategic tool of investigation. However the peculiar properties of IDPs, with the lack of a unique 3D structure and their high flexibility, have a strong impact on NMR observables (low chemical shift dispersion, efficient solvent exchange broadening) and thus on the quality of NMR spectra. Key aspects to be considered in the design of new NMR experiments optimized for the study of IDPs are discussed. A new experiment, based on direct detection of (13)C(α), is proposed.

Side chain: backbone projections in aromatic and ASX residues from NMR cross-correlated relaxation

The measurements of cross-correlated relaxation rates between H(N)-N and C(beta)-C(gamma) intraresidual and sequential dipolar interactions is demonstrated in ASN, ASP and aromatic residues. The experiment can be used for deuterated samples and no additional knowledge such as Karplus parametrizations is required for the analysis. The data constitutes a new type of information since no other method relates the C(beta)-C(gamma) bond to H(N)-N. Using this method the dominant populations of rotamer states of chi 1 can be readily cross checked provided that phi or psi are known. In addition, dynamics on all timescales can be probed. As opposed to standard dynamics analysis of isolated bonds, the presented observables depend on relative dynamics with an interesting prospect to analyze correlated fluctuations of the two torsion angles phi or psi with chi 1. Experimental rates are compared to single conformer and ensemble representations of GB3 and ubiquitin. In particular, it is found that the recently published ubiquitin ensemble 2k39 improves the agreement obtained for 1UBQ. In general, however, input data restricting ASX and aromatic side chains in structure calculation is sparse highlighting the need for new NMR observables.

Relaxation-optimised Hartmann-Hahn transfer using a specifically Tailored MOCCA-XY16 mixing sequence for carbonyl-carbonyl correlation spectroscopy in 13C direct detection NMR experiments

Isotropic mixing sequences are one of the key methods to achieve efficient coherence transfer. Among them, the MOCCA-XY16, which keeps the magnetization longitudinal for a significant amount of time, is characterised by favourable relaxation properties. We show here that its adapted version is particularly suited for carbonyl-carbonyl correlations in (13)C direct detection NMR experiments.

Three-dimensional 13C-detected CH3-TOCSY using selectively protonated proteins: facile methyl resonance assignment and protein structure determination

Recent advances in instrumentation and isotope labeling methodology allow proteins up to 100 kDa in size to be studied in detail using NMR spectroscopy. Using 2H/13C/15N enrichment and selective methyl protonation, we show that newly developed 13C direct detection methods can be used to rapidly yield proton and carbon resonance assignments for the methyl groups of Val, Leu, and Ile residues. We present a highly sensitive 13C-detected CH3-TOCSY experiment that, in combination with standard 1H-detected backbone experiments, allows the full assignment of side chain resonances in methyl-protonated residues. Selective methyl protonation, originally developed by Kay and co-workers (Rosen, M. K.; Gardner, K. H.; Willis, R. C.; Parris, W. E.; Pawson, T.; Kay, L. E. J. Mol. Biol. 1996, 263, 627-636; Gardner, K. G.; Kay, L. E. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 1998, 27, 357-406; Goto, N. K.; Kay, L. E. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 2000, 10, 585-592), improves the nuclear relaxation behavior of larger proteins compared to their fully protonated counterparts, allows significant simplification of spectra, and facilitates NOE assignments. Here, we demonstrate the usefulness of the 13C-detected CH3-TOCSY experiment through studies of (i) a medium-sized protein (CbpA-R1; 14 kDa) with a repetitive primary sequence that yields highly degenerate NMR spectra, and (ii) a larger, bimolecular protein complex (p21-KID/Cdk2; 45 kDa) at low concentration in a high ionic strength solution. Through the analysis of NOEs involving amide and Ile, Leu, and Val methyl protons, we determined the global fold of CbpA-R1, a bacterial protein that mediates the pathogenic effects of Streptococcus pneumoniae, demonstrating that this approach can significantly reduce the time required to determine protein structures by NMR.

Spin-state selective carbon-detected HNCO with TROSY optimization in all dimensions and double echo-antiecho sensitivity enhancement in both indirect dimensions

A carbon-detected TROSY-optimized experiment correlating 1HN, 15N, and 13C' resonances, referred to as c-TROSY-HNCO is presented, in which the 1HN and 15N TROSY effects are maintained in both indirect dimensions, while the directly detected 13C' is doubly TROSY-optimized with respect to 1HN and 15N. A new strategy for sensitivity enhancement, the so-called double echo-antiecho (dEA), is described and implemented in the c-TROSY-HNCO experiment. dEA offers sensitivity enhancement of square root of 2 in both indirect dimensions and is generally applicable to many multidimensional experiments. A carbon-detected HNCO experiment, c-HNCO, without TROSY optimization and sensitivity enhancement is also designed for comparison purposes. Relaxation simulations show that for a protein with a rotational correlation time of 10 ns or larger, the c-TROSY-HNCO experiment displays comparable or higher signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios than the c-HNCO experiment, although the former selects only 1/4 of the initial magnetization relative to the later. The high resolution afforded in the directly detected carbon dimension allows direct measurement of the doublet splitting to extract 1JCalphaC' scalar and 1DCalphaC' residual dipolar couplings. Simulations indicate that the c-TROSY-HNCO experiment offers higher precision (lower uncertainty) compared to the c-HNCO experiment for larger proteins. The experiments are applied to 15N/13C/2H/[Leu,Val]-methyl-protonated IIBMannose, a protein of molecular mass 18.6 kDa with a correlation time of approximately 10 ns at 30 degrees C. The experimental pairwise root-mean-square deviation for the measured 1JCalphaC' couplings obtained from duplicate experiments is 0.77 Hz. By directly measuring the doublet splitting, the experiments described here are expected to be much more tolerant to nonuniform values of 1JCalphaC' (or 1JCalphaC' + 1DCalphaC' for aligned samples) and pulse imperfections due to the smaller number of applied pulses in the "out-and-stay" coherence transfer in the c-HNCO-TROSY experiment relative to conventional 1H-detected "out-and-back" quantitative J correlation experiments. A carbon-detected TROSY-optimized experiment correlating 1HN, 15N, and 13C' resonances, referred to as c-TROSY-HNCO is presented, in which the 1HN and 15N TROSY effects are maintained in both indirect dimensions, while the directly detected 13C' is doubly TROSY-optimized with respect to 1HN and 15N. A new strategy for sensitivity enhancement, the so-called double echo-antiecho (dEA), is described and implemented in the c-TROSY-HNCO experiment. dEA offers sensitivity enhancement of in both indirect dimensions and is generally applicable to many multidimensional experiments.

13C-detected HN(CA)C and HMCMC experiments using a single methyl-reprotonated sample for unambiguous methyl resonance assignment

Methyl groups provide an important source of structural and dynamic information in NMR studies of proteins and their complexes. For this purpose sequence-specific assignments of methyl 1H and 13C resonances are required. In this paper we propose the use of 13C-detected 3D HN(CA)C and HMCMC experiments for assignment of methyl 1H and 13C resonances using a single selectively methyl protonated, perdeuterated and 13C/15N-labeled sample. The high resolution afforded in the 13C directly-detected dimension allows one to rapidly and unambiguously establish correlations between backbone HN strips from the 3D HN(CA)C spectrum and methyl group HmCm strips from the HMCMC spectrum by aligning all possible side-chain carbon chemical shifts and their multiplet splitting patterns. The applicability of these experiments for the assignment of methyl 1H and 13C resonances is demonstrated using the 18.6 kDa B domain of the Escherichia coli mannose transporter (IIBMannose).

Structural plasticity of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase sFkpA is a key to its chaperone function as revealed by solution NMR

Intramolecular dynamics of periplasmic chaperone FkpA-deltaCT (sFkpA) and its complexes with partially structured substrates are studied by NMR in solution. The backbone amide 15N relaxation of sFkpA reveals flexibility in the relative orientation between the dimerization domain and two juxtaposed catalytic domains identified in the X-ray structure of sFkpA. This flexibility is attributed to the structural plasticity within the long alpha-helical arm (helix III) consisting of residues 84 and 91. Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) indicate an absence of fixed orientation between the sFkpA domains. The substrate binding surface of sFkpA is defined on the X-ray structure by mapping of chemical shift perturbations introduced by complexation of sFkpA with its corresponding protein substrates: partially folded RNase A S-protein and reduced carboxymethylated bovine alpha-lactalbumin (RCM-la). A comparison of 15N relaxation of apo-sFkpA and its complex with RNase A S-protein indicates an increased rigidity within the long alpha-helix III and decreased interdomain mobility of the complex. We speculate that these dynamic properties may play a key role in the chaperone activity of sFkpA, since ability to bind different substrates potentially requires structural adaptations of the chaperone protein. We show that binding of sFkpA to RNase A S-protein greatly reduces the population of aggregated oligomeric species of RNase A S-protein. Finally, a molecular model, the so-called "mother's arms" model, is proposed to illustrate the mechanism of chaperone activity by FkpA.

Measurement of 15N relaxation in deuterated amide groups in proteins using direct nitrogen detection

15N chemical shielding tensors contain useful structural information, and their knowledge is essential for accurate analysis of protein backbone dynamics. The anisotropic component (CSA) of 15N chemical shielding can be obtained from 15N relaxation measurements in solution. However, the predominant contribution to nitrogen relaxation from 15N-(1)H dipolar coupling in amide groups limits the sensitivity of these measurements to the actual CSA values. Here we present nitrogen-detected NMR experiments for measuring 15N relaxation in deuterated amide groups in proteins, where the dipolar contribution to 15N relaxation is significantly reduced by the deuteration. Under these conditions nitrogen spin relaxation becomes a sensitive probe for variations in 15N chemical shielding tensors. Using the nitrogen direct-detection experiments we measured the rates of longitudinal and transverse 15N relaxation for backbone amides in protein G in D(2)O at 11.7 T. The measured relaxation rates are validated by comparing the overall rotational diffusion tensor obtained from these data with that from the conventional 15N relaxation measurements in H(2)O. This analysis revealed a 17-24 degree angle between the NH-bond and the unique axis of the 15N chemical shielding tensor.

Novel 13C direct detection experiments, including extension to the third dimension, to perform the complete assignment of proteins

Carbon-13 direct detection NMR methods are feasible thanks to the improvements in probehead technology and to the development of new NMR experiments. We present here a complete set of experiments, based on C' direct detection, developed to perform protein complete assignment of backbone and side-chains (except for aromatic rings). This strategy offers alternative solutions for demanding situations (paramagnetic and/or large molecules) and can be useful in general in conjunction with conventional experiments.

Accurate determination of leucine and valine side-chain conformations using U-[15N/13C/2H]/[1H-(methine/methyl)-Leu/Val] isotope labeling, NOE pattern recognition, and methine Cgamma-Hgamma/Cbeta-Hbeta residual dipolar couplings: application to the 34-kDa enzyme IIA(chitobiose)

An isotope labeling scheme is described in which specific protonation of methine and methyl protons of leucine and valine is obtained on a 15N/13C labeled background with uniform deuteration of all other non-exchangeable protons. The presence of a protonated methine group has little effect on the favorable relaxation properties of the methyl protons of Leu and Val. This labeling scheme permits the rotameric state of leucine side-chains to be readily determined by simple inspection of the pattern of Hgamma(i)-H(N)(i) and Hgamma(i)-H(N)(i+1) NOEs in a 3D 15N-separated NOE spectrum free of complications arising from spectral overlap and spin-diffusion. In addition, one-bond residual dipolar couplings for the methine 13C-1H bond vectors of Leu and Val can be accurately determined from an intensity J-modulated constant-time HCCH-COSY experiment and used to accurately orient the side-chains of Leu and Val. Incorporation of these data into structure refinement improves the accuracy with which the conformations of Leu and Val side-chains can be established. This is important to ensure optimal packing both within the protein core and at intermolecular interfaces. The impact of the method on protein structure determination is illustrated by application to enzyme IIA(Chitobiose), a 34 kDa homotrimeric phosphotransferase protein.

Side-chain H and C resonance assignment in protonated/partially deuterated proteins using an improved 3D(13)C-detected HCC-TOCSY

We propose the use of (13)C-detected 3D HCC-TOCSY experiments for assignment of (1)H and (13)C resonances in protonated and partially deuterated proteins. The experiments extend 2D C-13-start and C-13-observe TOCSY type experiments proposed earlier. Introduction of the third (1)H dimension to 2D TOCSY: (i) reduces the peak overlap and (ii) increases the sensitivity per unit time, even for highly deuterated (>85%) protein samples, which makes this improved method an attractive tool for the side-chain H and C assignment of average sized proteins with natural isotope abundance as well as large partially deuterated proteins. The experiments are demonstrated with a 16 kDa (15)N, (13)C-labeled non-deuterated apo-CcmE and a 48 kDa uniformly (15)N, (13)C-labeled and fractionally ( approximately 90%) deuterated dimeric sFkpA. It is predicted that this method should be suitable for the assignment of methyl (13)C and (1)H chemical shifts of methyl protonated, highly deuterated and (13)C-labeled proteins with even higher molecular weight.

13C direct detected experiments: optimization for paramagnetic signals

To optimize 13C direct detected experiments for the observation of signals close to a paramagnetic center, we have assessed the sensitivity of different sequences based on CO-Cali coherence transfer. Features of CACO experiments were tested for Calbindin D9k, in which one of the two native Ca2+ ions is replaced by the paramagnetic Ce3+ ion. We have studied the comparison of single vs multiple quantum coherence transfer evolution as well as the influence of in-phase vs anti-phase detection of 13CO signals and finally the comparison of a coherence transfer step based on a CyO in plane with respect to a Cy ali in plane. The acquisition of the anti-phase component of the signal, accomplished by the removal of the last refocusing steps, allowed the identification of some signals unobserved with other pathways. The structural dependency of paramagnetism-induced nuclear relaxation is such that the identification of the most suitable coherence transfer pathway is not known "a priori" but it is driven by the relative proximity of Cali and CO to the paramagnetic center.

Charged gels as orienting media for measurement of residual dipolar couplings in soluble and integral membrane proteins

Measurement of residual dipolar couplings for membrane proteins will dramatically improve the quality of the structures obtainable by solution NMR spectroscopy. While there has been some success in achieving alignment of membrane-bound peptides, there has been very limited success in achieving alignment for functional membrane proteins. Herein, we demonstrate that charged polyacrylamide-based copolymers are suitable for obtaining weak alignment of membrane proteins reconstituted in detergent micelles. Varying the copolymer compositions, we prepared positively, zwitterionic, and negatively charged gels that are very stable at low concentration and can be used for obtaining weak alignment by compression in an NMR tube. Application of this method is demonstrated for the integral membrane protein OmpA in DPC micelles.

Simultaneous 1H- or 2H-, 15N- and multiple-band-selective 13C-decoupling during acquisition in 13C-detected experiments with proteins and oligonucleotides

Significant resolution improvement in 13C,13C-TOCSY spectra of uniformly deuterated and 13C, 15N-labeled protein and 13C,15N-labeled RNA samples is achieved by introduction of multiple-band-selective 13C-homodecoupling applied simultaneously with 1H- or 2H- and 15N-decoupling at all stages of multidimensional experiments including signal acquisition period. The application of single, double or triple band-selective 13C-decoupling in 2D-[13C,13C]-TOCSY experiments during acquisition strongly simplifies the homonuclear splitting pattern. The technical aspects of complex multiple-band homonuclear decoupling and hardware requirements are discussed. The use of this technique (i) facilitates the resonance assignment process as it reduces signal overlap in homonuclear 13C-spectra and (ii) possibly improves the signal-to-noise ratio through multiplet collapse. It can be applied in any 13C-detected experiment.