Backbone dynamics of proteins as studied by 15N inverse detected heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy: application to staphylococcal nuclease

This paper describes the use of novel two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulse sequences to provide insight into protein dynamics. The sequences developed permit the measurement of the relaxation properties of individual nuclei in macromolecules, thereby providing a powerful experimental approach to the study of local protein mobility. For isotopically labeled macromolecules, the sequences enable measurements of heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) and spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) 15N or 13C relaxation times with a sensitivity similar to those of many homonuclear 1H experiments. Because T1 values and heteronuclear NOEs are sensitive to high-frequency motions (10(8)-10(12) s-1) while T2 values are also a function of much slower processes, it is possible to explore dynamic events occurring over a large time scale. We have applied these techniques to investigate the backbone dynamics of the protein staphylococcal nuclease (S. Nase) complexed with thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate (pdTp) and Ca2+ and labeled uniformly with 15N. T1, T2, and NOE values were obtained for over 100 assigned backbone amide nitrogens in the protein. Values of the order parameter (S), characterizing the extent of rapid 1H-15N bond motions, have been determined. These results suggest that there is no correlation between these rapid small amplitude motions and secondary structure for S. Nase. In contrast, 15N line widths suggest a possible correlation between secondary structure and motions on the millisecond time scale. In particular, the loop region between residues 42 and 56 appears to be considerably more flexible on this slow time scale than the rest of the protein.     

Backbone dynamics of calcium-loaded calbindin D9k studied by two-dimensional proton-detected 15N NMR spectroscopy.

Backbone dynamics of calcium-loaded calbindin D9k have been investigated by two-dimensional proton-detected heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, using a uniformly 15N enriched protein sample. Spin-lattice relaxation rate constants, spin-spin relaxation rate constants, and steady-state [1H]-15N nuclear Overhauser effects were determined for 71 of the 72 backbone amide 15N nuclei. The relaxation parameters were analyzed using a model-free formalism that incorporates the overall rotational correlation time of the molecule, and a generalized order parameter (S2) and an effective internal correlation time for each amide group. Calbindin D9k contains two helix-loop-helix motifs joined by a linker loop at one end of the protein and a beta-type interaction between the two calcium-binding loops at the other end. The amplitude of motions for the calcium-binding loops and the helices are similar, as judged from the average S2 values of 0.83 +/- 0.05 and 0.85 +/- 0.04, respectively. The linker region joining the two calcium-binding subdomains of the molecule has a significantly higher flexibility, as indicated by a substantially lower average S2 value of 0.59 +/- 0.23. For residues in the linker loop and at the C-terminus, the order parameter is further decomposed into separate order parameters for motional processes on two distinct time scales. The effective correlation times are significantly longer for helices I and IV than for helices II and III or for the calcium-binding loops. Residue by residue comparisons reveal correlations of the order parameters with both the crystallographic B-factors and amide proton exchange rates, despite vast differences in the time scales to which these properties are sensitive. The order parameters are also utilized to distinguish regions of the NMR-derived three-dimensional structure of calbindin D9k that are poorly defined due to inherently high flexibility, from poorly defined regions with average flexibility but a low density of structural constraints.     

Dynamics of the carbohydrate chains attached to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G as studied by NMR spectroscopy assisted by selective 13C labeling of the glycans

A systematic method for ¹³C labeling of the glycan of immunoglobulin G for NMR study has been developed. A mouse immunoglobulin of subclass IgG2b has been used for the experiment. On the basis of chemical shift and linewidth data, it has been concluded that (1) the mobility of the carbohydrate chain in IgG2b is comparable to that of the backbone polypeptide chain with the exception of the galactose residue at the nonreducing end of the Man1–3 branch, which is extremely mobile and (2) agalactosylation does not induce any significant change in the mobility. The results obtained indicate that even in the agalactosyl form the glycans are buried in the protein. Biological significance of the NMR results obtained is also briefly discussed.     

Conformation of an enzyme-bound substrate of staphylococcal nuclease as determined by NMR.

The dinucleoside phosphodiester dTdA is a slow substrate of staphylococcal nuclease (kcat = 3.8 X 10(-3) s-1) that forms binary E-S and ternary E-M-S complexes with Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, and La3+. The enzyme enhances the paramagnetic effects of Co2+ on 1/T1 and 1/T2 of the phosphorus and on 1/T1 of six proton resonances of dTdA, and these effects are abolished by binding of the competitive inhibitor 3',5'-pdTp. From paramagnetic effects of Co2+ on 1/T2 of phosphorus, koff of dTdA from the ternary E-Co(2+)-dTdA complex is greater than or equal to 4.8 X 10(4) s-1 and kon greater than or equal to 1.4 X 10(6) M-1 s-1, indicating the 1/T1 values to be in fast exchange. From paramagnetic effects of enzyme-bound Co2+ on 1/T1 of phosphorus and protons, with use of a correlation time of 1.6 ps on the basis of 1/T1 values at 250 and 600 MHz, 7 metal-nucleus distances and 9 lower-limit metal-nucleus distances are calculated. The long Co2+ to 31P distance of 4.1 +/- 0.9 A, which is intermediate between that expected for direct phosphoryl coordination (3.31 +/- 0.02 A) and a second sphere complex with an intervening water ligand (4.75 +/- 0.02 A), suggests either a distorted inner sphere complex or the rapid averaging of 18% inner sphere and 82% second sphere complexes and may explain the reduced catalytic activity with small dinucleotide substrates. Seventeen interproton distances and 108 lower limit interproton distances in dTdA in the ternary E-La(3+)-dTdA complex were determined by NOESY spectra at 50-, 100-, and 200-ms mixing times. While metal-substrate and interproton distances alone did not yield a unique structure, the combination of both sets of distances yielded a very narrow range of conformations for enzyme-bound dTdA, which was highly extended, with no base stacking, with high-anti glycosidic torsional angles for dT (64 degrees less than or equal to chi less than or equal to 73 degrees) and dA (66 degrees less than or equal to chi less than or equal to 68 degrees) and predominantly C-2'-endo sugar puckers for both nucleosides. Although the individual nucleosides are like those of B-DNA, their unstacked conformation, which is inappropriate for base pairing, as well as the conformational angles alpha and gamma of dA and zeta of dT, rule out B-DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Backbone dynamics of a model membrane protein: 13C NMR spectroscopy of alanine methyl groups in detergent-solubilized M13 coat protein

The filamentous coliphage M13 possesses multiple copies of a 50-residue coat protein which is inserted into the inner membrane of Escherichia coli during infection. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to probe the structure and dynamics of M13 coat protein solubilized in detergent micelles. A comparison of backbone dynamics within the hydrophobic core region and the hydrophilic terminal domains was obtained by biosynthetic incorporation of [3-13C]alanine. Alanine is distributed throughout the protein and accounts for 10 residues (i.e., 20% of the total). Similar 13C NMR spectra of the protein have been obtained in two anionic detergents, sodium deoxycholate and sodium dodecyl sulfate, although the structures and physical properties of these solubilizing agents are quite different. The N-terminal alanine residues, assigned by pH titration, and the penultimate residue, assigned by carboxypeptidase A digestion, give rise to analogous peaks in both detergent systems. The pKa of Ala-1 (approximately 8.8) and the relaxation parameters of individual carbon atoms (T1, T2, and the nuclear Overhauser enhancement) are also generally similar, suggesting a similarity in the overall protein structure. Relaxation data have been analyzed according to the model-free approach of Lipari and Szabo [Lipari, G., & Szabo, A. (1982) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 104, 4546-4559]. The overall correlation times were obtained by fitting the three experimental relaxation values for a given well-resolved single carbon atom to obtain a unique value for the generalized order parameter, S2, and the effective correlation time, tau e. The former parameter reflects the spatial restriction of motion, and the latter, the rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Measurement of15N-13C J couplings in staphylococcal nuclease

Summary ¹⁵N-C and¹⁵N-C J couplings were measured for the backbone of staphylococcal nuclease, uniformly enriched with¹⁵N and¹³C. It is found that the^IJ_C'N coupling is similar for -sheet, J=14.8 ± 0.5 and for -helix, J = 14.8 ± 0.4 but tends to be larger for the unstructured N- and C-terminal ends of the protein (J=15.6 ± 0.5). On average,¹J_NC are smaller for -helical residues (J=9.6 ± 0.3 Hz) compared to -sheet (J=10.9 ± 0.8 Hz) and a substantial difference is observed for²J_NC in -helices (J=6.4 ± 0.4 Hz) and -sheets (J=8.3 ± 0.8 Hz).Dedicated to the memory of Professor V.F. Bystrov     

Structure and dynamics of staphylococcal nuclease mutants as studied by fluorescence quenching techniques

Fluorescence techniques have been used to investigate the effect of mutations on the structure and dynamics of staphylococcal nuclease. An estimate of the accessibility to acrylamide of the enzyme's single tryptophan residue (Trp140) was obtained from the Stern-Volmer constant for fluorescence quenching. This was indicative of a partially buried tryptophan in the wild-type nuclease. Five single-site mutant nucleases (H124L, V66L, G88V, G79S and F76V) and one double mutant (V66L + G88V), with widely differing stabilities to denaturants, gave Stern-Volmer constants which were very similar to that of their parent enzyme. Studies of the temperature- and viscosity-dependence of quenching suggest that access by acrylamide to Trp140 is limited by diffusion rather than by protein structural fluctuations. Lifetime-resolved fluorescence anisotropy studies using steady-state instrumentation suggest that there is very little segmental motion of the Trp140; most of the anisotropy therefore decays due to protein rotation in the solution. Rotational correlation times for several nuclease mutants have been determined and these are very similar to that of the native nuclease. Thus it appears that these substitutions in the primary amino acid sequence, which have significant effects on the stability of the folded proteins, do not cause a significant change in the protein structure or dynamics around Trp140.     

Derivatives of C-branched monosaccharides studied by 13C NMR

13C NMR spectra of some 3-C branched D-allofuranoses and D-ribofuranoses were obtained and interpreted. The impact of attaching the alkyl substitute to the monosaccharides on chemical shifting of the adjacent carbon atoms was shown. The experimental data are useful for elucidating structures of analogous compounds by 13C NMR.     

Solution conformations of proline rings in proteins studied by NMR spectroscopy

Summary Three different conformations of proline rings in a protein in solution, Up, Down and Twist, have been distinguished, and stereospecific assignments of the pyrrolidine -, - and -hydrogens have been made on the basis of ¹H-¹H vicinal coupling constant patterns and intraresidue NOEs. For all three conformations, interhydrogen distances in the pairs -³, ³-³, ²-², ²-², and ³-³ (2.3 Å) are shorter than those in the pairs -², ²-³, ³-², ²-³, and ³-² (2.7–3.0 Å), resulting in stronger NOESY cross peaks. For the Up conformation, the ³-² and ²-³ spin-spin coupling constants are small (<3 Hz), and weak cross peaks are obtained in a short-mixing-time (10 ms) TOCSY spectrum; all other vicinal coupling constants are in the range 5–12 Hz, and result in medium to strong TOCSY cross peaks. For the Down form, the -², ²-³, and ³-² vicinal coupling constants are small, leading to weak TOCSY cross peaks; all other couplings again are in the range 5–12 Hz, and result in medium to strong TOCSY cross peaks. In the case of a Twist conformation, dynamically averaged coupling constants are anticipated. The procedure has been applied to bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor-V, and ring conformations of all prolines in the two proteins have been determined.     

Dynamics of exocyclic groups in the Escherichia coli O91 O-antigen polysaccharide in solution studied by carbon-13 NMR relaxation

Carbon-13 relaxation data are reported for exocyclic groups of hexopyranosyl sugar residues in the repeating unit within the Escherichia coli O91 O-antigen polysaccharide in a dilute D₂O solution. The measurements of T ₁, T ₂ and heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser enhancements were carried out at 310 K at two magnetic fields (16.4 T, 21.1 T). The data were analyzed using the standard and extended Lipari–Szabo models, as well as a conformational jump model. The extended version of the Lipari–Szabo and the two-site jump models were most successful for the hydroxymethyl groups of Gal and GlcNAc sugar residues. Different dynamics was found for the hydroxymethyl groups associated with different configurations (d-gluco, d-galacto) of the sugar residues, the latter being faster than the former.     

Improved labeling strategy for 13C relaxation measurements of methyl groups in proteins

Selective incorporation of ¹³C into the methyl groupsof protein side chains is described as a means for simplifying themeasurement and interpretation of ¹³C relaxation parameters.High incorporation (>90%) is accomplished by using pyruvate(3-¹³C, 99%) as the sole carbon source in the growthmedia for protein overexpression in E. coli. This improved labeling schemeincreases the sensitivity of the relaxation experiments by approximatelyfivefold when compared to randomly fractionally ¹³C-labeledprotein, allowing high-quality measurements on relatively dilute (<1 mM)protein samples at a relatively low cost.     

Diffusion and conformation of peptide-functionalized polyphenylene dendrimers studied by fluorescence correlation and 13C NMR spectroscopy

We report on the combined use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy to detect the size and type of peptide secondary structures in a series of poly-Z-L-lysine functionalized polyphenylene dendrimers bearing the fluorescent perylenediimide core in solution. In dilute solution, the size of the molecule as detected from FCS and 1H NMR diffusion measurements matches nicely. We show that FCS is a sensitive probe of the core size as well as of the change in the peptide secondary structure. However, FCS is less sensitive to functionality. A change in the peptide secondary conformation from beta-sheets to alpha-helices detected by 13C NMR spectroscopy gives rise to a steep increase in the hydrodynamic radii for number of residues n > or = 16. Nevertheless, helices are objects of low persistence.     

Backbone dynamics of bacteriorhodopsin as studied by <Superscript>13</Superscript>C solid-state NMR spectroscopy

The surface dynamics of bacteriorhodopsin was examined by measurements of site-specific ¹³C–¹H dipolar couplings in [3-¹³C]Ala-labeled bacteriorhodopsin. Motions of slow or intermediate frequency (correlation time <50 µs) scale down ¹³C–¹H dipolar couplings according to the motional amplitude. The two-dimensional dipolar and chemical shift (DIPSHIFT) correlation technique was utilized to obtain the dipolar coupling strength for each resolved peak in the ¹³C MAS solid-state NMR spectrum, providing the molecular order parameter of the respective site. In addition to the rotation of the Ala methyl group, which scales the dipolar coupling to 1/3 of the rigid limit value, fluctuations of the C–C vector result in additional motional averaging. Typical order parameters measured for mobile sites in bacteriorhodopsin are between 0.25 and 0.29. These can be assigned to Ala103 of the C–D loop and Ala235 at the C-terminal -helix protruded from the membrane surface, and Ala196 of the F–G loop, as well as to Ala228 and Ala233 of the C-terminal -helix and Ala51 from the transmembrane -helix. Such order parameters departing significantly from the value of 0.33 for rotating methyl groups are obviously direct evidence for the presence of fluctuation motions of the Ala C–C vectors of intact preparations of fully hydrated, wild-type bacteriorhodopsin at ambient temperature. The order parameter for Ala160 from the expectantly more flexible E–F loop, however, is unavailable under highest-field NMR conditions, probably because increased chemical shift anisotropy together with intrinsic fluctuation motions result in an unresolved ¹³C NMR signal.     

Dynamics in the cyclic Enterobacterial common antigen as studied by <Superscript>13</Superscript>C NMR relaxation

The motional properties of the cyclic enterobacterial common antigen (cECA), consisting of four trisaccharide repeat units, have been investigated by carbon-13 spin relaxation. R₁, R₂ and NOE relaxation parameters have been determined at three magnetic field strengths. The data were interpreted within the model-free framework to include the possibility of motional anisotropy, and overall as well as local dynamical parameters were fitted separately for each ring carbon. The motional anisotropy was addressed by assuming an axially symmetric diffusion tensor, which was fitted from the overall correlation times for each site in the sugar residues using the previously determined crystal structure. The data were found to be in agreement with an oblate shape of the molecule, and the values for D_iso and were in good agreement with translational diffusion data and an estimate based on calculation of the moment of inertia tensor, respectively. The local dynamics in cECA were found to be residue-dependent. Somewhat lower values for the order parameters, as well as longer local correlation times, were observed for the -linked ManNAcA residue compared to the two -linked residues in the trisaccharide repeat unit.     

Structure of dicarboxyl malto-oligomers isolated from hypochlorite-oxidised potato starch studied by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy.

The main oxidised component in hypochlorite-oxidised potato starch was isolated by anion-exchange chromatography after enzymatic hydrolysis. The primary structure of the isolated oligosaccharides was determined by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, using homonuclear and heteronuclear two-dimensional techniques. The isolated pentamer and hexamer contained one glucose unit oxidised to a dicarboxyl residue. As the hypochlorite oxidation has occurred at positions C-2 and C-3 of a glucose unit, the introduced carboxyl groups caused ring cleavage between the carbons C-2 and C-3. The ring-cleaved dicarboxyl residue had glycosidic linkages on both sides, implying that this oxidation pathway does not result in depolymerisation. The vicinal coupling constant between H-4 and H-5 in the ring-cleaved dicarboxyl residue was 3.2 Hz, showing that the gauche orientations are preferred. As a result, a different bending of the starch chain is observed and is probably, therefore, one of the reasons why hypochlorite oxidation reduces the tendency to retrogradation. The pKa values (3.0) were determined from the pH-dependent chemical shifts of H-1, H-4 and H-5 of the dicarboxylic residue.