Improved 4D NMR experiments for the assignment of backbone nuclei in13C/15N labelled proteins

Summary We recently proposed a novel 4D NMR strategy for the assignment of backbone nuclei in¹³C/¹⁵N-labelled proteins (Boucher et al., 1992). Intra-residue (and many sequential) assignments are obtained from a HCANNH experiment, whereas sequential assignments are based on a complementary HCA(CO)NNH experiment. We present here new constant time 4D HCANNH, HCA(CO)NNH and HNCAHA experiments that are more sensitive. Some of the data were presented at the 33rd ENC held at Asilomar, California, U.S.A., in April 1992.     

Assignment of the backbone carbonyl resonances in 15N-labelled proteins with 13C at natural abundance by a 2D triple-resonance correlation technique

Summary A 2D NMR experiment for assignment of backbone carbon resonances in small and medium-sized ¹⁵N-labelled proteins with ¹³C at natural abundance is presented. The experiment is a two-dimensional variant of the HNCO triple-resonance experiment and is demonstrated by application to a 6 kDa protein at relatively low concentration (2 mM) and temperature (30°C). The experiment is particularly suitable for assignment of carbonyl resonances.     

Automated probabilistic method for assigning backbone resonances of (13C,15N)-labeled proteins

We present a computer algorithm for the automated assignment of polypeptide backbone and13C resonances of a protein of known primary sequence. Input to the algorithm consistsof cross peaks from several 3D NMR experiments: HNCA, HN(CA)CO, HN(CA)HA,HNCACB, COCAH, HCA(CO)N, HNCO, HN(CO)CA, HN(COCA)HA, and CBCA(CO)NH.Data from these experiments performed on glutamine-binding protein are analyzed statisticallyusing Bayes' theorem to yield objective probability scoring functions for matching chemicalshifts. Such scoring is used in the first stage of the algorithm to combine cross peaks fromthe first five experiments to form intraresidue segments of chemical shifts{Ni,HiN,Ci,Ci,Ci}, while the latter five are combined into interresiduesegments {Ci,Ci,Ci,Ni+1,HNi+1}. Given a tentative assignment of segments,the second stage of the procedure calculates probability scores based on the likelihood ofmatching the chemical shifts of each segment with (i) overlapping segments; and (ii) chemicalshift distributions of the underlying amino acid type (and secondary structure, if known). Thisjoint probability is maximized by rearranging segments using a simulated annealing program,optimized for efficiency. The automated assignment program was tested using CBCANH andCBCA(CO)NH cross peaks of the two previously assigned proteins, calmodulin and CheA.The agreement between the results of our method and the published assignments wasexcellent. Our algorithm was also applied to the observed cross peaks of glutamine-bindingprotein of Escherichia coli, yielding an assignment in excellent agreement with that obtainedby time-consuming, manual methods. The chemical shift assignment procedure described hereshould be most useful for NMR studies of large proteins, which are now feasible with the useof pulsed-field gradients and random partial deuteration of samples.     

A 4D HCCH-TOCSY experiment for assigning the side chain1H and13C resonances of proteins

Summary A 4D HCCH-TOCSY experiment is described for correlating and assigning the¹H and¹³C resonances of protein amino acid side chains that has several advantages over 3D versions of the experiment. In many cases, both the¹H and¹³C chemical shifts can be obtained in the 4D experiment from a simple inspection of the¹³C(3),¹H(4) planes extracted at the¹H(1)/¹³C(2) chemical shifts. Together with the 3D and 4D triple resonance experiments, this allows sequence-specific assignments to be obtained. In addition, the increased resolution of the 4D experiment compared to its 3D counterpart allows. automation of resonance assignments.     

Sequence-specific assignment of histidine and tryptophan ring 1H, 13C and 15N resonances in 13C/15N- and 2H/13C/15N-labelled proteins

Methods are described to correlate aromatic ¹H ²/¹³C ² or ¹H ¹/¹⁵N ¹ with aliphatic ¹³C chemical shifts of histidine and tryptophan residues, respectively. The pulse sequences exclusively rely on magnetization transfers via one-bond scalar couplings and employ [¹⁵N, ¹H]- and/or [¹³C, ¹H]-TROSY schemes to enhance sensitivity. In the case of histidine imidazole rings exhibiting slow HN-exchange with the solvent, connectivities of these proton resonances with -carbons can be established as well. In addition, their correlations to ring carbons can be detected in a simple [¹⁵N, ¹H]-TROSY-H(N)C^ar experiment, revealing the tautomeric state of the neutral ring system. The novel methods are demonstrated with the 23-kDa protein xylanase and the 35-kDa protein diisopropylfluorophosphatase, providing nearly complete sequence-specific resonance assignments of their histidine -CH and tryptophan -NH groups.     

Assigning large proteins in the solid state: a MAS NMR resonance assignment strategy using selectively and extensively <Superscript>13</Superscript>C-labelled proteins

In recent years, solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS NMR) has been growing into an important technique to study the structure of membrane proteins, amyloid fibrils and other protein preparations which do not form crystals or are insoluble. Currently, a key bottleneck is the assignment process due to the absence of the resolving power of proton chemical shifts. Particularly for large proteins (approximately >150 residues) it is difficult to obtain a full set of resonance assignments. In order to address this problem, we present an assignment method based upon samples prepared using [1,3-¹³C]- and [2-¹³C]-glycerol as the sole carbon source in the bacterial growth medium (so-called selectively and extensively labelled protein). Such samples give rise to higher quality spectra than uniformly [¹³C]-labelled protein samples, and have previously been used to obtain long-range restraints for use in structure calculations. Our method exploits the characteristic cross-peak patterns observed for the different amino acid types in ¹³C-¹³C correlation and 3D NCACX and NCOCX spectra. An in-depth analysis of the patterns and how they can be used to aid assignment is presented, using spectra of the chicken α-spectrin SH3 domain (62 residues), αB-crystallin (175 residues) and outer membrane protein G (OmpG, 281 residues) as examples. Using this procedure, over 90% of the Cα, Cβ, C′ and N resonances in the core domain of αB-crystallin and around 73% in the flanking domains could be assigned (excluding 24 residues at the extreme termini of the protein). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

3D Triple-resonance NMR techniques for the sequential assignment of NH and 15N resonances in 15N- and 13C-labelled proteins

Summary Two new 3D ¹H-¹⁵N-¹³C triple-resonance experiments are presented which provide sequential cross peaks between the amide proton of one residue and the amide nitrogen of the preceding and succeeding residues or the amide proton of one residue and the amide proton of the preceding and succeeding residues, respectively. These experiments, which we term 3D-HN(CA)NNH and 3D-H(NCA)NNH, utilize an optimized magnetization transfer via the ²J_NC coupling to establish the sequential assignment of backbone NH and ¹⁵N resonances. In contrast to NH-NH connectivities observable in homonuclear NOESY spectra, the assignments from the 3D-H(NCA)NNH experiment are conformation independent to a first-order approximation. Thus the assignments obtained from these experiments can be used as either confirmation of assignments obtained from a conventional homonuclear approach or as an initial step in the analysis of backbone resonances according to Ikura et al. (1990) [Biochemistry, 29, 4659–4667]. Both techniques were applied to uniformly ¹⁵N- and ¹³C-labelled ribonuclease T1.     

Assignment of aliphatic side-chain 1HN/15N resonances in perdeuterated proteins

Summary The perdeuteration of aliphatic sites in large proteins has been shown to greatly facilitate the process of sequential backbone and side-chain ¹³C assignments and has also been utilized in obtaining long-range NOE distance restraints for structure calculations. To obtain the maximum information from a 4D ¹⁵N/¹⁵N-separated NOESY, as many main-chain and side-chain ¹H_N/¹⁵N resonances as possible must be assigned. Traditionally, only backbone amide ¹H_N/¹⁵N resonances are assigned by correlation experiments, whereas slowly exchanging side-chain amide, amino, and guanidino protons are assigned by NOEs to side-chain aliphatic protons. In a perdeuterated protein, however, there is a minimal number of such protons. We have therefore developed several gradient-enhanced and sensitivity-enhanced pulse sequences, containing water-flipback pulses, to provide through-bond correlations of the aliphatic side-chain ¹H_N/¹⁵N resonances to side-chain ¹³C resonances with high sensitivity: NH₂-filtered 2D ¹H-¹⁵N HSQC (H₂N-HSQC), 3D H₂N(CO)C_/ and 3D H₂N(COC_/)C_/ for glutamine and asparagine side-chain amide groups; 2D refocused H(N_/)C_/ and H(N_/C_/)C_/ for arginine side-chain amino groups and non-refocused versions for lysine side-chain amino groups; and 2D refocused H(N)C and nonrefocused H(N_.)C for arginine side-chain guanidino groups. These pulse sequences have been applied to perdeuterated ¹³C-/¹⁵N-labeled human carbonic anhydrase II (²H-HCA II). Because more than 95% of all side-chain ¹³C resonances in ²H-HCA II have already been assigned with the C(CC)(CO)NH experiment, the assignment of the side-chain ¹H_N/¹⁵N resonances has been straightforward using the pulse sequences mentioned above. The importance of assigning these side-chain H_N protons has been demonstrated by recent studies in which the calculation of protein global folds was simulated using only ¹H_N-¹H_N NOE restraints. In these studies, the inclusion of NOE restraints to side-chain H_N protons significantly improved the quality of the global fold that could be determined for a perdeuterated protein [R.A. Venters et al. (1995) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 117, 9592–9593].To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

(H)N(COCA)NH and HN(COCA)NH experiments for 1H-15N backbone assignments in 13C/15N-labeled proteins

Triple resonance HN(COCA)NH pulse sequences for correlating 1H(i), 15N(i),1H(i-1), and 15N(i-1) spins that utilize overlapping coherence transfer periods provide increased sensitivityrelative to pulse sequences that utilize sequential coherence transfer periods. Although theoverlapping sequence elements reduce the overall duration of the pulse sequences, theprincipal benefit derives from a reduction in the number of 180° pulses. Two versions of thetechnique are presented: a 3D (H)N(COCA)NH experiment that correlates 15N(i),1H(i-1), and 15N(i-1) spins, and a 3D HN(COCA)NH experiment that correlates 1H(i), 15N(i),1H(i-1), and 15N(i-1) spins by simultaneously encoding the 1H(i) and 15N(i) chemical shiftsduring the t1 evolution period. The methods are demonstrated on a 13C/15N-enriched sampleof the protein ubiquitin and are easily adapted for application to 2H/13C/15N-enrichedproteins.     

Optimized set of two-dimensional experiments for fast sequential assignment,secondary structure determination,and backbone fold validation of 13C/15N-labelled proteins

NMR experiments are presented which allow backbone resonance assignment, secondary structure identification, and in favorable cases also molecular fold topology determination from a series of two-dimensional ¹H-¹⁵N HSQC-like spectra. The ¹H-¹⁵N correlation peaks are frequency shifted by an amount ± _X along the ¹⁵N dimension, where _X is the C, C, or H frequency of the same or the preceding residue. Because of the low dimensionality (2D) of the experiments, high-resolution spectra are obtained in a short overall experimental time. The whole series of seven experiments can be performed in typically less than one day. This approach significantly reduces experimental time when compared to the standard 3D-based methods. The here presented methodology is thus especially appealing in the context of high-throughput NMR studies of protein structure, dynamics or molecular interfaces.     

A new triple-resonance experiment for the sequential assignment of backbone resonances in proteins

Summary A new protocol is described for obtaining intraresidual and sequential correlations between carbonyl carbons and amide ¹H and ¹⁵N resonances of amino acids. Frequency labeling of ¹³CO spins occurs during a period required for the ¹³C-¹⁵N polarization transfer, leading to an optimized transfer efficiency. In a four-dimensional version of the experiment, ¹³C chemical shifts are used to improve the dispersion of signals. The resonance frequencies of all backbone nuclei can be detected in a 3D variant in which cross peaks are split along two frequency axes. This pulse scheme is the equivalent of a five-dimensional experiment. The novel pulse sequences are applied to flavodoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris.     

CO_H(N)CACB experiments for assigningbackbone resonances in 13C/15N-labeledproteins

A triple resonance NMR experiment, denoted CO_H(N)CACB, correlates¹H^N and ¹³CO spins with the¹³C and¹³C spins of adjacent amino acids. Thepulse sequence is an out-and-back design that starts with¹H^N magnetization and transfers coherence viathe ¹⁵N spin simultaneously to the ¹³CO and¹³C spins, followed by transfer to the¹³C spin. Two versions of the sequence arepresented: one in which the ¹³CO spins are frequency labeledduring an incremented t₁ evolution period prior to transfer ofmagnetization from the ¹³C to the¹³C resonances, and one in which the¹³CO spins are frequency labeled in a constant-time mannerduring the coherence transfer to and from the¹³C resonances. Because ¹³COand ¹⁵N chemical shifts are largely uncorrelated, thetechnique will be especially useful when degeneracy in the¹H^N-¹⁵N chemical shifts hindersresonance assignment. The CO_H(N)CACB experiment is demonstrated usinguniformly ¹³C/¹⁵N-labeled ubiquitin.     

1H, 13C, 15N backbone and side-chain resonance assignments of the Bright/ARID domain from the human histone demethylase JARID1B

We report backbone and side-chain resonance assignments of the Bright/ARID domain from the human JARID1B protein. These assignments provide a basis for the detailed structural investigation of the interaction between DNA and ARID domains.     

Backbone resonance assignment in large protonated proteins using a combination of new 3D TROSY-HN(CA)HA, 4D TROSY-HACANH and 13C-detected HACACO experiments

A new method for backbone resonance assignment suitable for large proteins with the natural ¹H isotope content is proposed based on a combination of the most sensitive TROSY-type triple-resonance experiments. These techniques include TROSY-HNCO, ¹³C-detected 3D multiple-quantum HACACO and the newly developed 3D TROSY multiple-quantum-HN(CA)HA and 4D TROSY multiple-quantum-HACANH experiments. The favorable relaxation properties of the multiple-quantum coherences, signal detection using the ¹³C antiphase coherences, and the use of TROSY optimize the performance of the proposed set of experiments for application to large protonated proteins. The method is demonstrated with the 44 kDa uniformly ¹⁵N,¹³C-labeled and fractionally (35%) deuterated trimeric B. Subtilis Chorismate Mutase and is suitable for proteins with large correlation times but a relatively small number of residues, such as membrane proteins embedded in micelles or oligomeric proteins.     

Simultaneous acquisition of [13C,15N]- and [15N,15N]-separated 4D gradient-enhanced NOESY spectra in proteins

Summary The simultaneous acquisition of a 4D gradient-enhanced and sensitivity-enhanced [¹³C,¹⁵N]/[¹⁵N,¹⁵N]-separated NOESY is presented for the 74-residue [¹³C,¹⁵N]-labeled N-terminal SH3 domain of mGrb2 complexed with a peptide gragment from mSOS-2 in 90% H₂O. The method readily accommodates different ¹³C and ¹⁵N spectral widths, but requires that the same number of increments be collected for both ¹³C and ¹⁵N in the simultaneous dimension (F₂). For purposes of display and analysis, the two 4D spectra can be deconvolved during the processing stage by the appropriate linear combination of separately stored FIDs. Compared to collecting each of these two 4D data sets separately, the presented method is a factor (2)^1/2 more efficient in sensitivity per unit acquisition time. The interleaved nature of this method may also lead to improved peak registration between the two 4D spectra.     

Resonance assignment of 13C/15N labeled solid proteins by two- and three-dimensional magic-angle-spinning NMR

The comprehensive structure determination of isotopically labeled proteins by solid-state NMR requires sequence-specific assignment of ¹³C and ¹⁵ N spectra. We describe several 2D and 3D MAS correlation techniques for resonance assignment and apply them, at 7.0 Tesla, to ¹³C and ¹⁵N labeled ubiquitin to examine the extent of resonance assignments in the solid state. Both interresidue and intraresidue assignments of the ¹³C and ¹⁵N resonances are addressed. The interresidue assignment was carried out by an N(CO)CA technique, which yields N_i-C_i–1 connectivities in protein backbones via two steps of dipolar-mediated coherence transfer. The intraresidue connectivities were obtained from a new 3D NCACB technique, which utilizes the well resolved C chemical shift to distinguish the different amino acids. Additional amino acid type assignment was provided by a ¹³C spin diffusion experiment, which exhibits ¹³C spin pairs as off-diagonal intensities in the 2D spectrum. To better resolve carbons with similar chemical shifts, we also performed a dipolar-mediated INADEQUATE experiment. By cross-referencing these spectra and exploiting the selective and extensive ¹³ C labeling approach, we assigned 25% of the amino acids in ubiquitin sequence-specifically and 47% of the residues to the amino acid types. The sensitivity and resolution of these experiments are evaluated, especially in the context of the selective and extensive ¹³C labeling approach.     

1H, 15N and 13C resonance assignments,secondary structure,and the conformation of substrate in the binary folate complex of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase

Summary By using fully ¹⁵N- and ¹⁵N/¹³C-labeled Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase, the sequence-specific ¹H and ¹⁵N NMR assignments were achieved for 95% of the backbone resonances and for 90% of the ¹³C resonances in the binary folate complex. These assignments were made through a variety of three-dimensional proton-detected ¹⁵N and ¹³C experiments. A smaller but significant subset of side-chain ¹H and ¹³C assignments were also determined. In this complex, only one ¹⁵N or ¹³C resonance was detected per ¹⁵N or ¹³C protein nucleus, which indicated a single conformation. Proton-detected ¹³C experiments were also performed with unlabeled DHFR, complexed with ¹³C-7/¹³C-9 folate to probe for multiple conformations of the substrate in its binary complex. As was found for the protein resonances, only a single bound resonance corresponding to a productive conformation could be detected for C-7. These results are consistent with an earlier report based on ¹H NMR data [Falzone, C.J. et al. (1990) Biochemistry, 29, 9667–9677] and suggest that the E. coli enzyme is not involved in any catalytically unproductive binding modes in the binary complex. This feature of the E. coli enzyme seems to be unique among the bacterial forms of DHFR that have been studied to date.     

1H, 13C and 15N NMR backbone assignments and secondary structure of the 269-residue protease subtilisin 309 from Bacillus lentus

Summary ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR assignments of the backbone atoms of subtilisin 309, secreted by Bacillus lentus, have been made using heteronuclear 3D NMR techniques. With 269 amino acids, this protein is one of the largest proteins to be sequentially assigned by NMR methods to date. Because of the size of the protein, some useful 3D correlation experiments were too insensitive to be used in the procedure. The HNCO, HN(CO)CA, HNCA and HCACO experiments are robust enough to provide most of the expected correlations for a protein of this size. It was necessary to use several experiments to unambiguously determine a majority of the -protons. Combined use of HCACO, HN(COCA)HA, HN(CA)HA, ¹⁵N TOCSY-HMQC and ¹⁵N NOESY-HMQC experiments provided the H chemical shifts. Correlations for glycine protons were absent from most of the spectra. A combination of automated and interactive steps was used in the process, similar to that outlined by Ikura et al. [(1990) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 112, 9020–9022] in the seminal paper on heteronuclear backbone assignment. A major impediment to the linking process was the amount of overlap in the C and H frequencies. Ambiguities resulting from this redundancy were solved primarily by assignment of amino acid type, using C chemical shifts and TOCSY ladders. Ninety-four percent of the backbone resonances are reported for this subtilisin. The secondary structure was analyzed using 3D ¹⁵N NOESY-HMQC data and C secondary chemical shifts. Comparison with the X-ray structure [Betzel et al. (1992) J. Mol. Biol., 223, 427–445] shows no major differences.Supplementary material available from F.J.M. van de Ven: the source code (PASCAL) for the computer program described in this paper.