19F NMR investigation of molecular motion and packing in sonicated phospholipid vesicles

Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) labeled with a C19F2 group in the 4-, 8-, or 12-position of the 2-acyl chain has been investigated in sonicated unilamellar vesicles (SUV) by fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at 282.4 MHz from 26 to 42 degrees C. The 19F NMR spectra exhibit two overlapping resonances with different line widths. Spin-lattice relaxation time measurements have been performed in both the laboratory frame (T1) and the rotating frame (T1 rho) in order to investigate the packing and dynamics of phospholipids in lipid bilayers. Quantitative line-shape and relaxation analyses are possible by using the experimental chemical shift anisotropy (delta nu CSA) and the internuclear F-F vector order parameter (SFF) values obtained from the 19F powder spectra of multilamellar liposomes. The following conclusions can be made: The 19F chemical shift difference between the inside and outside leaflets of SUV can be used to monitor the lateral packing of the phospholipid in the two SUV monolayers. The hydrocarbon chains in the outer layer are found to be more tightly packed than those of the inner one, and the differences between them become smaller near the chain terminals. The effective correlation time [(1-4) x 10(-7) s] obtained from either the motional narrowing of the line widths or off-resonance T1 rho measurements is shorter than that estimated from the Stokes-Einstein diffusion model (10(-6) s), on the basis of a hydrodynamic radius of 110 A for SUV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Varied magnetic field, multiple-pulse, and magic-angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of muscle water.

The nuclear magnetic resonance linewidth of 1H in water of frog muscle was studied as a function of magnetic field strength and angle of orientation. The results suggest that the observed spectra are dominated by demagnetization field anisotropy and dispersion, but a small static dipolar interaction of the order of a few hertz man be present. Data from line-narrowing, multiple-pulse experiments also indicate the presence of a small dipolar broadening.     

Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance studies of lipid phase transitions in model and biological membranes.

Fluorinated fatty acids of the general formula CH3(CH2)13-mCF2(CH2)m-2COOH are informative spectroscopic probes of the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transitions in phospholipid dispersions and in biological membranes. We present theoretical considerations to suggest that the 19F nuclear magnetic resonance line shapes are very different for frozen and fluid lipid regions. Our studies confirm this expectation for mixed phospholipid multilamellar dispersions containing a trace of difluoromyristate. The method correctly measures the onset and completion temperatures of the transition in the well-studied dimyristoylphosphaditylcholine distearoylphosphatidylcholine system and also describes the motional behavior of the solid and fluid phases within the transition. Lipids extracted from Escherichia coli membranes show similar motional phenomena through the transition-temperature range according to 19F nuclear magnetic resonance studies of difluoromyristate biosynthetically incorporated into the K1060B5 strain, an unsaturated fatty acid auxotroph. Intact cells or membrane vesicles show substantially different behavior from extracted lipids, indicating that membrane proteins significantly perturb the phase transition. Evidence presented in this paper also shows that the 19F resonance from Escherichia coli phospholipids is sensitive to various intramembrane interactions. There is a general decrease in restriction of motion due to neutral lipids and an opposite effect due to the architecture of the native membrane. Neither effect is temperature sensitive. However, there are interactions in the intact membrane, affecting the 19F resonance, that are temperature dependent both due to the phase-transition process and due to processes occurring at high temperatures.     

In situ 19F NMR studies of an E. coli membrane protein

In this report, (19)F spin incorporation in a specific site of a specific membrane protein in E. coli was accomplished via trifluoromethyl-phenylalanine ((19) F-tfmF). Site-specific (19)F chemical shifts and longitudinal relaxation times of diacylglycerol kinase (DAGK), an E. coli membrane protein, were measured in its native membrane using in situ magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Comparing with solution NMR data of the purified DAGK in detergent micelles, the in situ MAS-NMR data illustrated that (19)F chemical shift values of residues at different membrane protein locations were influenced by interactions between membrane proteins and their surrounding lipid or lipid mimic environments, while (19)F side chain longitudinal relaxation values were probably affected by different interactions of DAGK with planar lipid bilayer versus globular detergent micelles.     

19F-nuclear magnetic resonance study of glycerolipid fatty acyl chain order in Acholeplasma laidlawii B membranes

The technique of 19F-nuclear magnetic resonance (19F-NMR) spectroscopy offers a number of advantages for studies of lipid fatty acyl chain orientation and dynamics in biomembranes. However, the geminal difluoromethylene fatty acid probes usually employed in such studies appreciably perturb the organization of lipid bilayers. We have thus synthesized a series of specifically monofluorinated palmitic acids and carried out biophysical, biochemical, and physiological studies establishing their suitability as relatively non-perturbing probes of lipid hydrocarbon chain organization. These 19F-NMR probes were then used to determine the fatty acyl chain order profiles of Acholeplasma laidlawii B membranes highly enriched in a variety of different exogenous fatty acids, particularly those containing a methyl branch or a trans-double bond.     

Selective reversible deuteriation of oligodeoxynucleotides: simplification of two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect NMR spectral assignment of a non-self-complementary dodecamer duplex

Oligodeoxynucleotides are reversibly deuteriated at the purine C8 and cytosine C5 positions with deuterioammonium bisulfite at pD 7.8. The exchange reaction is complete after 48 h at 65 degrees C. When an oligomer deuteriated under these conditions is analyzed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the purine H8 and cytosine H5 proton signals are selectively removed from the spectrum. A non-self-complementary oligodeoxynucleotide that has been deuteriated in this manner may be annealed with its complement and the resulting heteroduplex analyzed by two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOESY) spectroscopy. NOE cross-peaks arising from pyrimidine H6-deoxyribose H1' dipolar interactions in both strands are observed, but purine H8-deoxyribose H1' and purine H8-deoxyribose H2',H2" dipolar interactions are only observed for the nondeuteriated strand. The intense cytosine H5-H6 cross-peaks are also removed from the spectrum of the deuteriated strand, which further simplifies interpretation since these strong cross-peaks often interfere with less intense NOE cross-peaks arising from dipolar coupling between purine H8 or pyrimidine H6 and deoxyribose anomeric protons. The resulting spectral simplification allows unambiguous assignments to be made on NOEs that otherwise may be difficult to distinguish. The deuteration procedure is demonstrated with the sequence d(CGTTATAATGCG).d(CGCATTATAACG), which has previously been assigned by traditional NOESY methods [Wemmer, D. E., Chou, S.-H., Hare, D. R., & Reid, B. R. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 2262-2268]. Although the assignment of this dodecadeoxynucleotide may be completed without deuteriation, several NOEs must be assigned indirectly because of degeneracies in the chemical shift of the purine H8 protons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Application of 19F nuclear magnetic resonance to examine covalent modification reactions of tyrosyl derivatives: a study of calcineurin catalysis

The hydrolysis of fluorotyrosine phosphate by the calmodulin-activated phosphatase calcineurin has been monitored by 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Previous work had established that the 19F nuclear magnetic resonance shift of the fluorine nucleus was altered after the phosphorylation of the phenolic hydroxyl group (B. Martin, C.J. Pallen, J.H. Wang, and D.J. Graves (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14592-14597). The disappearance of substrate and the appearance of product can be measured simultaneously with this approach. Application of the integrated form of the Michaelis-Menten equation yields estimates of the kinetic parameter, KM, close to the values obtained by initial rate kinetics. The velocity term, VM, was also evaluated to be approximately the same value. Calcineurin was determined not to be inactivated over the time period of the reaction. The results demonstrate that 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be applied to the examination of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.     

Dynamics of the phosphate group in phospholipid bilayers. A 31P-1H transient Overhauser effect study.

Two recent studies have addressed the question of the dynamics of the phosphate in egg phosphatidylcholine multilayers by measurement and interpretation of 31P NMR spin-lattice relaxation. In the first (Milburn, M. P., and K. R. Jeffrey. 1987. Biophys. J. 52:791-799), the temperature dependences of the two contributions to the 31P relaxation rate, a dipolar interaction of the phosphorus with neighboring protons and a time-dependent anisotropic chemical shielding interaction were separately measured. A further study (Milburn, M. P., and K. R. Jeffrey. 1989. Biophys. J. 56:543-549) incorporated the anisotropic nature of phospholipid motions into the dynamic model of the headgroup motion by measuring the 31P spin-lattice relaxation time in oriented samples as a function of angle between the bilayer normal and the magnetic field. These angular dependent measurements were made at high field so that analysis could by made using the chemical shielding interaction because the 31P-1H dipolar interaction in phospholipid systems is complex and as such poorly understood. Nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) studies have attempted to identify the important proton species contributing to the 31P-1H dipolar interaction (Yeagle, P. L., W. C. Hutton, C. Huang, and R. B. Martin. 1975. Biochemistry. 15:2121-2124) and despite some controversy in interpretation (Burns, R. A., R. E. Stark, D. A. Vidusek, and M. F. Roberts. 1983. Biochemistry. 22:5084-5090), it was generally agreed that the choline methyl and methylene protons are the major contributors to the 31P-1H NOE. To further understand the nature of the 31P-1H dipolar interaction, we carried out 31P-1H Transient Overhauser effect (TOE) measurements on egg phosphatidylcholine multilayers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Two-dimensional 1H NMR study of human ubiquitin: a main chain directed assignment and structure analysis

The 1H resonances of human ubiquitin were studied by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. A recently introduced assignment algorithm termed the main chain directed (MCD) assignment [Englander, S. W., & Wand, A. J. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 5953-5958] was applied. This approach relies on an ordered series of searches for prescribed patterns of connectivities in two-dimensional J-correlated and nuclear Overhauser effect spectra and centers on the dipolar interactions involving main-chain amide NH, alpha-CH, and beta-CH. Unlike the sequential assignment procedure, the MCD approach does not rest upon definition of side-chain J-coupled networks and is generally not sequential with the primary sequence of the protein. The various MCD patterns and the general algorithm are reiterated and applied to the analysis of human ubiquitin. With this algorithm, the vast majority of amino acid residue amide NH-C alpha H-C beta H J-coupled subspin systems could be associated with and aligned within units of secondary structure without any knowledge of the identity of the side chains. This greatly simplified recognition of side-chain spin systems by restricting their identity. Essentially complete resonance assignments are presented. The MCD method is compared with the sequential assignment method in some detail. The MCD method is highly amenable to automation. Human ubiquitin is found, at pH 5.8 and 30 degrees C, to be composed of an extensive beta-sheet structure involving five strands. Three of these strands form an antiparallel set sharing a common strand and have a parallel orientation to two antiparallel strands. Two helical segments were also observed. The largest, spanning 13 residues, shows dipolar interactions consistent with an alpha-helix while the smaller 4-residue helical segment appears, on the basis of observed nuclear Overhauser effects, to be a 3(10) helix. Five classical tight turns could be demonstrated.     

Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance studies of effects of ligands on trifluoroacetonylated supernatant aspartate transaminase.

The selective reaction of Cys-45 and -82, on the one hand, and Cys-390, on the other, with 3-bromo-1,1,1-trifluoropropanone allows for the probing of these regions of aspartate transaminase in the absence and in the presence of enzymatic ligands by 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The 19F chemical shifts of the resonance lines differ for the three cysteines and so does their behavior with pH changes. The resonance signals with chemical shifts at 615 and 800 Hz upfield from trifluoroacetic acid correspond to modified cysteine-82 and -45 and have tentatively been assigned in this order. The 615-Hz resonance is affected by pH changes that fit best the influence of a single ionizing residue. On the 800-Hz line, the pH changes appear to be the influence of a minimum of two ionizing residues. The 19F resonance from modified Cys-390 is pH independent in the pH range 5-9 for the pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxamine phosphate, and apoenzyme forms of the enzyme. Occupation of the active site by a quasi-enzyme-substrate complex, trifluoromethionine pyridoxyl phosphate, affects the 19F chemical shift of modified Cys-390, making it pH dependent with a pK value of 8.4. The 19F NMR properties of the pyridoxal form of Cys-390-modified enzyme can be used to monitor some ligand interactions with the active-center region. Addition of alpha-ketoglutarate or succinate to the ketone labeled enzyme causes a decrease in the resonance line width, and titrations show that this procedure is a good method with which to study the affinity of the enzyme for these ligands. The interpretation of the chemical shift and line-width characteristics of the 19F resonance arising from Cys-390 are most consistent with a model in which the region around this residue seems to be affected by conformational changes arising from substrate binding to the active-center subsites in productive (covalent) manner. Nonproductive complexes which possess fast ligand-protein exchange, such as those between alpha-ketoglutarate or succinate with the pyridoxal phosphate form of the enzyme, may result only in a greater degree of freedom for Cys-390.     

Function of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in glycogen phosphorylase: a model study using 6-fluoro-5'-deoxypyridoxal- and 5'-deoxypyridoxal-reconstituted enzymes

A new vitamin B6 analogue, 6-fluoro-5'-deoxypyridoxal (6-FDPL), was synthesized and characterized. This analogue, as well as 6-fluoropyridoxal (6-FPAL), 6-fluoropyridoxal phosphate (6-FPLP), and 6-fluoropyridoxine, showed positive heteronuclear 1H-19F nuclear Overhauser effects between the 5'-protons and the 6-fluorine. Apophosphorylase reconstituted with 6-FDPL showed 1% of the activity of the native enzyme in the presence of phosphite. The kinetic pattern, apparent pH optimum of activity, and the activity-temperature dependency of the 6-FDPL-enzyme were virtually identical with those of phosphorylase reconstituted with the parent compound, 6-FPAL [Chang, Y. C., & Graves, D. J. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2709-2714], except the Km of phosphite toward the 6-FDPL-enzyme was 9 times higher than that with the 6-FPAL-enzyme and the 6-FDPL-enzyme showed a lower Vmax value. Phosphorylase reconstituted with 5'-deoxypyridoxal (DPL) also showed activity in the presence of phosphite. The kinetics and the temperature-activity dependency of this reconstituted enzyme were investigated. 19F nuclear magnetic resonance studies showed that the binding of glucose 1-phosphate to a 6-FDPL-enzyme-adenosine 5'-phosphate (AMP) complex shifted the 19F signal 0.6 ppm upfield, whereas a 2.1 ppm change was observed when the 6-FPAL-enzyme-AMP formed a complex with glucose 1-phosphate [Chang, Y. C., Scott, R. D., & Graves, D. J. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 1932-1939].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

In vivo 19F NMR chemical-shift imaging of Ancistrocladus species

Summary ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and¹⁹F NMR chemical-shift imaging (¹⁹F CSI) have been used to localize fluorinated compounds administered to stems ofAncistrocladus heyneanus andA. abbreviatus for the elucidation of biosynthetic pathways in living plants. This first application of¹⁹F CSI on plants proved CSI to be a valuable technique for mapping fluorinated molecules in plants. Exemplarily using trifluoroacetate as a model compound allowed to select appropriate feeding methods and to optimize both concentration and duration of the application to the plant. The time course of the uptake and distribution of trifluoroacetate was monitored by both¹⁹F imaging and¹⁹F CSI. Fluorinated metabolites formed by uptake of 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-glucose were detected with¹⁹F CSI.Abbreviations 3-FDG 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-glucose - CSI chemicalshift imaging - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - SNR signal-to-noise ratio - TFA trifluoroacetate Dedicated to Professor Manfred Christi on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Fungal metabolism of toluene: monitoring of fluorinated analogs by (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

We used isomeric fluorotoluenes as model substrates to study the catabolism of toluene by five deuteromycete fungi and one ascomycete fungus capable of growth on toluene as the sole carbon and energy source, as well as by two fungi (Cunninghamella echinulata and Aspergillus niger) that cometabolize toluene. Whole cells were incubated with 2-, 3-, and 4-fluorotoluene, and metabolites were characterized by (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance. Oxidation of fluorotoluene by C. echinulata was initiated either at the aromatic ring, resulting in fluorinated o-cresol, or at the methyl group to form fluorobenzoate. The initial conversion of the fluorotoluenes by toluene-grown fungi occurred only at the side chain and resulted in fluorinated benzoates. The latter compounds were the substrate for the ring hydroxylation and, depending on the fluorine position, were further metabolized up to catecholic intermediates. From the (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance metabolic profiles, we propose that diverse fungi that grow on toluene assimilate toluene by an initial oxidation of the methyl group.     

Magic-angle spinning NMR studies of molecular organization in multibilayers formed by 1-octadecanoyl-2-decanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine.

Magic-angle spinning 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been employed to study 50%-by-weight aqueous dispersions of 1-octadecanoyl-2-decanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C[18]:C[10]PC) and 1-octadecanoyl-2-d19-decanoyl-PC (C[18]:C[10]PC-d19), mixed-chain phospholipids which can form interdigitated multibilayers. The 1H NMR linewidth for methyl protons of the choline headgroup has been used to monitor the liquid crystalline-to-gel (LC-to-G) phase transition and confirm variations between freezing and melting temperatures. Both 1H and 13C spin-lattice relaxation times indicate unusual restrictions on segmental reorientation at megahertz frequencies for C(18):C(10)PC as compared with symmetric-chain species in the LC state; nevertheless each chemical moiety of the mixed-chain phospholipid exhibits motional behavior that may be classified as liquidlike. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser spectroscopy (NOESY) on C(18):C(10)PC and C(18):C(10)PC-d19 reveals cross-peaks between the omega-methyl protons of the C18 chain and the N-methyl protons of the phosphocholine headgroup, and several experimental and theoretical considerations argue against an interpretation based on spin diffusion. Using NMR relaxation times and NOESY connectivities along with a computational formalism for four-spin systems (Keepers, J. W., and T. L. James. 1984. J. Magn. Reson. 57:404-426), an estimate of 3.5 A is obtained for the average distance between the omega-methyl protons of the C18 chain and the N-methyl protons of the phosphocholine headgroup. This finding is consistent with a degree of interdigitation similar to that proposed for organized assemblies of gel-state phosphatidylcholine molecules with widely disparate acyl-chain lengths (Hui, S. W., and C.-H. Huang. 1986. Biochemistry. 25:1330-1335); however, acyl-chain bendback or other intermolecular interactions may also contribute to the NOESY results. For multibilayers of C(18):C(10)PC in the gel phase, 13C chemical-shift measurements indicate that trans conformers predominate along both acyl chains. 13C Spin-lattice relaxation times confirm the unusual motional restrictions noted in the LC state; nevertheless, 13C and 1H rotating-frame relaxation times indicate that the interdigitated arrangement enhances chain or bilayer motions which occur at mid-kilohertz frequencies.     

19F nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of stereoselective binding of isoflurane to bovine serum albumin.

Whether proteins or lipids are the primary target sites for general anesthetic action has engendered considerable debate. Recent in vivo studies have shown that the S(+) and R(-) enantiomers of isoflurane are not equipotent, implying involvement of proteins. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), a soluble protein devoid of lipid, contains specific binding sites for isoflurane and other anesthetics. We therefore conducted 19F nuclear magnetic resonance measurements to determine whether binding of isoflurane to BSA was stereoselective. Isoflurane chemical shifts were measured as a function of BSA concentration to determine the chemical shift differences between the free and bound isoflurane. KD was determined by measuring the 19F transverse relaxation times (T2) as a function of isoflurane concentration. The binding duration was determined by assessing increases in 1/T2 as a result of isoflurane exchanging between the free and bound states. The S(+) and R(-) enantiomers exhibited no stereoselectivity in chemical shifts and KD values (KD = 1.3 +/- 0.2 mM, mean +/- SE, for S(+), R(-), and the racemic mixture). Nonetheless, stereoselectivity was observed in dynamic binding parameters; the S(+) enantiomer bound with slower association and dissociation rates than the R(-).     

New class of 19F pH indicators: fluoroanilines

The pH dependence of the 19F chemical shift has been characterized for a number of fluorine-substituted aniline derivatives. These compounds constitute a new class of 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pH indicators, characterized by single 19F resonance lines with sensitivities ranging from 2 to 7 ppm/pH unit near the aniline pKa; total shifts between conjugate acid and base of 5-15 ppm; and pKas ranging from 1 to 7. One compound, N,N-(methyl-2-carboxyisopropyl)-4-fluoroaniline, has a pKa of 6.8 and a sensitivity of 5 ppm/pH unit. This compound displays significant broadening of its 19F resonance near the aniline pKa (6.8), due to a decreased rate of exchange between conjugate acid and base species. Our results are consistent with slow dissociation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond in the zwitterionic species that limits the exchange rate between protonated and unprotonated forms for N,N-(methyl-2-carboxyisopropyl)-4-fluoroaniline.     

Reexamination of the secondary and tertiary structure of histidine-containing protein from Escherichia coli by homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy.

Analysis of the histidine-containing protein (HPr) from Escherichia coli by two-dimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance techniques has been performed, extending the work originally reported [Klevit, R. E., Drobny, G. D., & Waygood, E. B. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7760-7769; Klevit, R. E., & Drobny, G. P. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7770-7773; Klevit, R. E., & Waygood, E. B. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7774-7781]. Two-dimensional homonuclear total coherence spectroscopy (TOCSY) allowed for more complete assignments of the side-chain spin systems than had been possible in the original studies. As well, two-dimensional 15N-1H heteronuclear spectroscopy was used to resolve a number of ambiguities present in the homonuclear spectra due to resonance redundancies. These analyses led to the correction of a number of resonance assignments that were made with the spectra that could be collected with the technology that existed 6 years ago. In addition, amide exchange rates and 3JNH coupling constants have been measured, extending the original analysis and yielding new structural information. All these data have been used to reexamine the folding topology of E. coli HPr. Structure calculations showed that the topology derived from the earlier NMR data, i.e., a four-stranded beta-sheet with three alpha-helices running along one side of the sheet, was essentially unchanged, although at the present level of analysis, a well-defined "helix B" could not be established with high confidence. In addition, the data reported here revealed the existence of two slowly-exchanging side-chain hydroxyl protons belonging to Ser31 and Thr59. Their behavior strongly suggests that these side chains are involved in hydrogen bonds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Solution 1H NMR study of the heme cavity and folding topology of the abbreviated chain 118-residue globin from the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune

The globin from the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune, abbreviated GlbN, which appears to serve as a part of a terminal oxidase rather than as a respiratory pigment, displays relatively normal O2 binding properties, despite the highly abbreviated polypeptide chain, (118 residues) relative to more conventional globins [Thorsteinsson, M. V. , Bevan, D. R., Potts, M., Dou, Y., Eich, R. F., Hargrove, M. S., Gibson, Q. H., and Olson, J. S. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 2117-2126]. The nature of the heme cavity and the general folding topology of this cyanoglobin were investigated by solution 1H NMR to establish the extent to which, and the manner in which, this compact globin adheres to the standard globin fold. This represents by far the smallest globin subjected to structural analysis. The paramagnetic cyanomet derivative was selected because its characteristically large magnetic anisotropy imparts significant dipolar shifts which both improve resolution to greatly facilitate assignments and serve as indicators of the folding topology of the globin. Identification of the axial His 70 and highly conserved Phe 35 (CD1) determined the absolute orientation of the heme and proximal His. Sequential assignments of four helical and one loop segments, which exhibit dipolar contacts to the heme and among each other, confirm the presence of well-conserved F, G, and H helices and the FG corner. The majority of the abbreviation of the chain relative to the more conventional length globins is accommodated in the A-D helices, of which the last is completely missing. The distal residue which provides a H-bond to bound ligand is identified as Gln 43, but the expected helical position E7 could not be confirmed. His 46, placed at position E10, is found to adopt alternate orientations into, and out of, the heme cavity depending on protonation state, suggesting the presence of a Bohr effect at low pH. It is shown that the dipolar shifts exhibited by backbone protons for the assigned residues conform well to those observed for other cyanomet globins and further support a conserved Mb fold. Perturbed medium-range dipolar contacts and the pH-independent backbone proton lability of the F helix are interpreted in terms of a holoprotein which is less stable than a conventional length globin.     

Fungal Metabolism of Toluene: Monitoring of Fluorinated Analogs by 19F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

We used isomeric fluorotoluenes as model substrates to study the catabolism of toluene by five deuteromycete fungi and one ascomycete fungus capable of growth on toluene as the sole carbon and energy source, as well as by two fungi (Cunninghamella echinulata and Aspergillus niger) that cometabolize toluene. Whole cells were incubated with 2-, 3-, and 4-fluorotoluene, and metabolites were characterized by ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance. Oxidation of fluorotoluene by C. echinulata was initiated either at the aromatic ring, resulting in fluorinated o-cresol, or at the methyl group to form fluorobenzoate. The initial conversion of the fluorotoluenes by toluene-grown fungi occurred only at the side chain and resulted in fluorinated benzoates. The latter compounds were the substrate for the ring hydroxylation and, depending on the fluorine position, were further metabolized up to catecholic intermediates. From the ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance metabolic profiles, we propose that diverse fungi that grow on toluene assimilate toluene by an initial oxidation of the methyl group.     

Structural studies of alpha-bungarotoxin. 2. 1H NMR assignments via an improved relayed coherence transfer nuclear overhauser enhancement experiment

Complete sequence-specific assignments of the 1H NMR spectrum of bungarotoxin were reported in the previous paper [Basus, V.J., Billeter, M., Love, R.A., Stroud, R.M., & Kuntz, I.D. (1988) Biochemistry (first paper of three in this issue)]. The assignment was significantly aided by the use of the homonuclear Hartman-Hahn relayed coherence transfer nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy experiment (HRNOESY) which we present here, as a modification of relayed coherence transfer nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (relayed NOESY) [Wagner, G. (1984) J. Magn. Reson. 57, 497]. As shown here, HRNOESY resolves problems of proton resonance overlap especially in extended chain conformations as found in beta-sheets.