Selective spin inversion in solution by magic field cross polarization.

A pulsed element is proposed allowing the selective inversion of a single H nucleus, without regard to the presence of other degenerate H nuclei, provided that it is coupled to a heteronuclear spin with adequate chemical shift resolution in a 2D heteronuclear correlation spectrum. The approach is based on selective cross polarization, in which matched weak RF fields of specific amplitude are applied on resonance to the targeted H-X spin pair. It is shown theoretically that when the RF field amplitudes are set to specific values (ie.

Selective suppression of excipient signals in 2D H-C methyl spectra of biopharmaceutical products.

While the use of H-C methyl correlated NMR spectroscopy at natural isotopic abundance has been demonstrated as feasible on protein therapeutics as large as monoclonal antibodies, spectral interference from aliphatic excipients remains a significant obstacle to its widespread application. These signals can cause large baseline artifacts, obscure protein resonances, and cause dynamic range suppression of weak peaks in non-uniform sampling applications, thus hampering both traditional peak-based spectral analyses as well as emerging chemometric methods of analysis. Here we detail modifications to the 2D H-C gradient-selected HSQC experiment that make use of selective pulsing techniques for targeted removal of interfering excipient signals in spectra of the NISTmAb prepared in several different formulations.

Conformational Dynamics Modulate Activation of the Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme Ube2g2.

The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme Ube2g2 together with its cognate E3 ligase gp78 catalyzes the synthesis of lysine-48 polyubiquitin chains constituting signals for the proteasomal degradation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we employ NMR spectroscopy in combination with single-turnover diubiquitin formation assays to examine the role of the RING domain from gp78 in the catalytic activation of Ube2g2∼Ub conjugates. We find that approximately 60% of the Ube2g2∼Ub conjugates occupy a closed conformation in the absence of gp78-RING, with the population increasing to 82% upon gp78-RING binding.

Role of a non-canonical surface of Rad6 in ubiquitin conjugating activity.

Rad6 is a yeast E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme that monoubiquitinates histone H2B in conjunction with the E3, Bre1, but can non-specifically modify histones on its own. We determined the crystal structure of a Rad6∼Ub thioester mimic, which revealed a network of interactions in the crystal in which the ubiquitin in one conjugate contacts Rad6 in another. The region of Rad6 contacted is located on the distal face of Rad6 opposite the active site, but differs from the canonical E2 backside that mediates free ubiquitin binding and polyubiquitination activity in other E2 enzymes.

Unraveling long range residual dipolar coupling networks in strongly aligned proteins.

Long-range residual dipolar couplings (lrRDCs) have the potential to serve as powerful structural restraints in protein NMR spectroscopy as they can provide both distance and orientation information about nuclei separate in sequence but close in space. Current nonselective methods for their measurement are limited to moderate alignment strengths due to the sheer abundance of active couplings at stronger alignment. This limits the overall magnitude and therefore distance across which couplings can be measured.

Mechanism of polyubiquitin chain recognition by the human ubiquitin conjugating enzyme Ube2g2.

Ube2g2 is a human ubiquitin conjugating (E2) enzyme involved in the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway, which is responsible for the identification and degradation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum compartment. The Ube2g2-specific role is the assembly of Lys-48-linked polyubiquitin chains, which constitutes a signal for proteasomal degradation when attached to a substrate protein. NMR chemical shift perturbation and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement approaches were employed to characterize the binding interaction between Ube2g2 and ubiquitin, Lys-48-linked diubiquitin, and Lys-63-linked diubiquitin.

NMR characterization of an engineered domain fusion between maltose binding protein and TEM1 beta-lactamase provides insight into its structure and allosteric mechanism.

RG13 is a 72 kDa engineered allosteric enzyme comprised of a fusion between maltose binding protein (MBP) and TEM1 beta-lactamase (BLA) for which maltose is a positive effector of BLA activity. We have used NMR spectroscopy to acquire [(15)N, (1)H]-TROSY-HSQC spectra of RG13 in the presence and absence of maltose. The RG13 chemical shift data was compared to the published chemical shift data of MBP and BLA.

Solution structure and dynamics of human ubiquitin conjugating enzyme Ube2g2.

Ube2g2 is an E2 enzyme which functions as part of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway responsible for identification and degradation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. In tandem with a cognate E3 ligase, Ube2g2 assembles K48-linked polyubiquitin chains and then transfers them to substrate, leading ultimately to proteasomal degradation of the polyubiquitin-tagged substrate. We report here the solution structure and backbone dynamics of Ube2g2 solved by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

HNCO-based measurement of one-bond amide 15N-1H couplings with optimized precision.

A pair of 3D HNCO-based experiments have been developed with the aim of optimizing the precision of measurement of (1)J(NH) couplings. Both pulse sequences record (1)J(NH) coupling evolution during the entire constant time interval that (15)N magnetization is dephasing or rephasing with respect to the directly bonded (13)C' nucleus, with (15)N(13)C' multiple quantum coherence maintained during the (13)C' evolution period. The first experiment, designed for smaller proteins, produces an apparent doubling of the (1)J(NH) coupling without any accompanying increases in line width.

Multinuclear NMR and kinetic analysis of DNA interstrand cross-link formation.

Recently, a phenylselenyl-modified thymidine (2) was shown to produce DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) via two mechanisms. Photolysis of 2 generates 5-(2'-deoxyuridinyl)methyl radical (1), the reactive intermediate that results from formal hydrogen atom abstraction from the thymine methyl group. This reactive intermediate reacts with the opposing dA and is the first example of a DNA radical that produces ICLs.

De novo determination of internuclear vector orientations from residual dipolar couplings measured in three independent alignment media.

The straightforward interpretation of solution state residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) in terms of internuclear vector orientations generally requires prior knowledge of the alignment tensor, which in turn is normally estimated using a structural model. We have developed a protocol which allows the requirement for prior structural knowledge to be dispensed with as long as RDC measurements can be made in three independent alignment media. This approach, called Rigid Structure from Dipolar Couplings (RSDC), allows vector orientations and alignment tensors to be determined de novo from just three independent sets of RDCs.

Multiple alignment tensors from a denatured protein.

The structural content of the denatured state has yet to be fully characterized. In recent years, large residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) from denatured proteins have been observed under alignment conditions produced by bicelles and strained polyacrylamide gels. In this report, we describe efforts to extend our picture of the residual structure in denatured nuclease by measuring RDCs with multiple alignment tensors.

Composite alignment media for the measurement of independent sets of NMR residual dipolar couplings.

The measurement of independent sets of NMR residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) in multiple alignment media can provide a detailed view of biomolecular structure and dynamics, yet remains experimentally challenging. It is demonstrated here that independent sets of RDCs can be measured for ubiquitin using just a single alignment medium composed of aligned bacteriophage Pf1 particles embedded in a strained polyacrylamide gel matrix. Using this composite medium, molecular alignment can be modulated by varying the angle between the directors of ordering for the Pf1 and strained gel matrix, or by varying the ionic strength or concentration of the Pf1 particles.

Triple quantum decoherence under multiple refocusing: slow correlated chemical shift modulations of C' and N nuclei in proteins.

A new experiment allows the identification of residues that feature slow conformational exchange in macromolecules. Rotations about dihedral angles that are slower than the global correlation time tau(c) cause a modulation of the isotropic chemical shifts of the nuclei. If these fluctuations are correlated they induce a differential line broadening between three-spin single-quantum and triple-quantum coherences involving three nuclei such as the carbonyl C', the neighbouring amide nitrogen N and the amide proton H(N) belonging to a pair of consecutive amino acids.

De novo determination of bond orientations and order parameters from residual dipolar couplings with high accuracy.

We report the de novo determination of 15N-1H bond orientations and motional order parameters for the protein ubiquitin with high accuracy based solely on NMR residual dipolar coupling measurements made in six distinct alignment media. The resulting bond orientations are in agreement with RDC-refined orientations of either solid or solution state coordinates to within approximately 2 degrees , which is also the estimated precision of the resulting orientations. The squared generalized order parameters, which reflect amplitudes of motion spanning the picosecond to millisecond time scales, exhibit a correlation with picosecond time scale order parameters derived from conventional NMR 15N spin relaxation methods.

A novel approach to the retrieval of structural and dynamic information from residual dipolar couplings using several oriented media in biomolecular NMR spectroscopy.

The interpretation of residual dipolar couplings in terms of molecular properties of interest is complicated because of difficulties in separating structural and dynamic effects as well as the need to estimate alignment tensor parameters a priori. An approach is introduced here that allows many of these difficulties to be circumvented when data are acquired in multiple alignment media. The method allows the simultaneous extraction of both structural and dynamic information directly from the residual dipolar coupling data, in favorable cases even in the complete absence of prior structural knowledge.

Accurate measurement of residual dipolar couplings in anisotropic phase.

The determination of residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) by quantitative J spectroscopy methods such as Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation with Phase Encoded Coupling (HSQC-PEC) is prone to systematic errors that may be caused by differential attenuation during the conversion of orthogonal density operator components into observable terms. The attenuation may be caused by miscalibration of radio-frequency pulses and by relaxation effects. A simple method is presented that allows one to remove most of these systematic errors without losses in sensitivity or resolution.