Specific isotopic labelling and reverse labelling for protein NMR spectroscopy: using metabolic precursors in sample preparation.

The study of protein structure, dynamics and function by NMR spectroscopy commonly requires samples that have been enriched ('labelled') with the stable isotopes 13C and/or 15N. The standard approach is to uniformly label a protein with one or both of these nuclei such that all C and/or N sites are in principle 'NMR-visible'. NMR spectra of uniformly labelled proteins can be highly complicated and suffer from signal overlap.

Optimized precursor to simplify assignment transfer between backbone resonances and stereospecifically labelled valine and leucine methyl groups: application to human Hsp90 N-terminal domain.

Methyl moieties are highly valuable probes for quantitative NMR studies of large proteins. Hence, their assignment is of the utmost interest to obtain information on both interactions and dynamics of proteins in solution. Here, we present the synthesis of a new precursor that allows connection of leucine and valine pro-S methyl moieties to backbone atoms by linear C-chains.

In Vitro Production of Perdeuterated Proteins in HO for Biomolecular NMR Studies.

The cell-free synthesis is an efficient strategy to produce in large scale protein samples for structural investigations. In vitro synthesis allows for significant reduction of production time, simplification of purification steps and enables production of both soluble and membrane proteins. The cell-free reaction is an open system and can be performed in presence of many additives such as cofactors, inhibitors, redox systems, chaperones, detergents, lipids, nanodisks, and surfactants to allow for the expression of toxic membrane proteins or intrinsically disordered proteins.

Integrated NMR and cryo-EM atomic-resolution structure determination of a half-megadalton enzyme complex.

Atomic-resolution structure determination is crucial for understanding protein function. Cryo-EM and NMR spectroscopy both provide structural information, but currently cryo-EM does not routinely give access to atomic-level structural data, and, generally, NMR structure determination is restricted to small (<30 kDa) proteins. We introduce an integrated structure determination approach that simultaneously uses NMR and EM data to overcome the limits of each of these methods.

Unraveling self-assembly pathways of the 468-kDa proteolytic machine TET2.

The spontaneous formation of biological higher-order structures from smaller building blocks, called self-assembly, is a fundamental attribute of life. Although the protein self-assembly is a time-dependent process that occurs at the molecular level, its current understanding originates either from static structures of trapped intermediates or from modeling. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has the unique ability to monitor structural changes in real time; however, its size limitation and time-resolution constraints remain a challenge when studying the self-assembly of large biological particles.

Sensitive proton-detected solid-state NMR spectroscopy of large proteins with selective CH3 labelling: application to the 50S ribosome subunit.

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy allows the characterization of the structure, interactions and dynamics of insoluble and/or very large proteins. Sensitivity and resolution are often major challenges for obtaining atomic-resolution information, in particular for very large protein complexes. Here we show that the use of deuterated, specifically CH3-labelled proteins result in significant sensitivity gains compared to previously employed CHD2 labelling, while line widths increase only marginally.

CH3-specific NMR assignment of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine methyl groups in high molecular weight proteins using a single sample.

A new strategy for the NMR assignment of aliphatic side-chains in large perdeuterated proteins is proposed. It involves an alternative isotopic labeling protocol, the use of an out-and-back (13)C-(13)C TOCSY experiment ((H)C-TOCSY-C-TOCSY-(C)H) and an optimized non-uniform sampling protocol. It has long been known that the non-linearity of an aliphatic spin-system (for example Ile, Val, or Leu) substantially compromises the efficiency of the TOCSY transfers.

Methyl-specific isotopic labeling: a molecular tool box for solution NMR studies of large proteins.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a uniquely powerful tool for studying the structure, dynamics and interactions of biomolecules at atomic resolution. In the past 15 years, the development of new isotopic labeling strategies has opened the possibility of exploiting NMR spectroscopy in the study of supra-molecular complexes with molecular weights of up to 1MDa. At the core of these isotopic labeling developments is the specific introduction of [(1)H,(13)C]-labeled methyl probes into perdeuterated proteins.

Scrambling free combinatorial labeling of alanine-β, isoleucine-δ1, leucine-proS and valine-proS methyl groups for the detection of long range NOEs.

Specific isotopic labeling of methyl groups in proteins has greatly extended the applicability of solution NMR spectroscopy. Simultaneous labeling of the methyl groups of several different amino acid types can offer a larger number of useful probes that can be used for structural characterisations of challenging proteins. Herein, we propose an improved AILV methyl-labeling protocol in which L and V are stereo-specifically labeled.

A cost-effective protocol for the parallel production of libraries of 13CH3-specifically labeled mutants for NMR studies of high molecular weight proteins.

There is increasing interest in applying NMR spectroscopy to the study of large protein assemblies. Development of methyl-specific labeling protocols combined with improved NMR spectroscopy enable nowadays studies of proteins complexes up to 1 MDa. For such large complexes, the major interest lies in obtaining structural, dynamic and interaction information in solution, which requires sequence-specific resonance assignment of NMR signals.