In‐Situ Spin Labeling of His‐Tagged Proteins: Distance Measurements under In‐Cell Conditions

New spin labeling strategies have immense potential in studying protein structure and dynamics under physiological conditions with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Here, a new spin‐labeled chemical recognition unit for switchable and concomitantly high affinity binding to His‐tagged proteins was synthesized. In combination with an orthogonal site‐directed spin label, this novel spin probe, Proxyl‐trisNTA (P‐trisNTA) allows the extraction of structural constraints within proteins and macromolecular complexes by EPR. By using the multisubunit maltose import system of E. coli: 1) the topology of the substrate‐binding protein, 2) its substrate‐dependent conformational change, and 3) the formation of the membrane multiprotein complex can be extracted. Notably, the same distance information was retrieved both in vitro and in situ allowing for site‐specific spin labeling in cell lysates under in‐cell conditions. This approach will open new avenues towards in‐cell EPR.     

Tunneling spectroscopy of single electron spin

The possibility of detection of the electron spin of a single paramagnetic species (an atom, a radical, or an ion) on the surface was discussed. The analysis was based on spin chemistry laws taking into account the statistics of the spin states of both the tunneling electron and paramagnetic center. The equations for the tunneling current as a function of temperature and magnetic field strength were derived. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1732–1734, September, 1998.     

Characterization of the motion of spin probes and spin labels in amorphous polymers with two-dimensional field-step ELDOR

The motion of nitroxide spin probes and spin labels in amorphous polymers is studied below the glass transition temperature with a two-dimensional pulsed electron double-resonance experiment. Polystyrene and a liquid crystalline side group polymer are studied using both spin probes and spin labels covalently bound to specific sites along the polymer chain. Two methyl acrylic polymers differing only in their side group structure and polyvinylacetate are compared and large differences in the molecular dynamics deduced from both the nuclear and the electron spin relaxation rates are observed as the glass transition is approached. The results demonstrate the complexity of small amplitude motion in simple polymers below the glass transition temperature and show that it is very sensitive to the packing in the polymer. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

ESR and magnetic properties of electrically conducting metallophthalocyanine polymers

Polymeric metallophthalocyanines of Cu, Ni, Co in which benzene rings are shared in common with the macrocyclic phthalocyanine rings containing peripheral carboxylic groups have been synthesized and their electrical conductivities are shown to increase from 5 to 8 orders of magnitude by thermal treatment. The cobalt polymer exhibits greater conductivity than its nickel or copper analogs. The heated polymers show very broad electron spin resonance (ESR) signals and large paramagnetic susceptibilities. The bulk magnetic susceptibility of these polymers shows Curie-like behavior when the samples are heated from room temperature to 473 K. This is explained on the basis of coexistence of fixed mobile and conduction electron spins in the system and the interaction of the soliton type defects present in these polymers with the polymeric network to give dipolar charge carriers. This is also supported by the decrease in ESR intensity with increasing temperature when the samples are heated in the ESR cavity. The effect of the presence of unpaired electrons on the d shell of the central metal atoms on the line width and the line shape of the ESR spectra is also explained. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Micelle-polymer complexes as studied by the ESR spin probe technique

Complexes between sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles and the water-soluble polymers poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone), poly(ethylene oxide) and a copolymer of poly (vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl acetate) have been studied in aqueous solution by the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique using di-tert-butyl nitroxide as a spin probe. The effective rotational correlation times reveal lowering of the critical micelle concentration and decreased headgroup packing in the micelle upon interaction with the polymers.     

Thermally induced spin transitions in nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide spin triads studied by EPR

Thermally induced spin transitions in a family of heterospin polymer chain complexes of Cu2+ hexafluoroacetylacetonate with two pyrazole-substituted nitronyl nitroxides are studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The structural rearrangements at low temperatures induce spin transitions in exchange-coupled spin triads of nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide. The values of exchange interactions in spin triads of studied systems are typically on the order of tens to hundreds of inverse centimeters. The large magnitude of exchange interaction determines the specific and very informative peculiarities in EPR spectra due to the predominant population of the ground state of a spin triad and spin exchange processes. The variety of these manifestations depending on structure and magnetic properties of spin triads are described. EPR is demonstrated as an efficient tool for the characterization of spin transitions and for obtaining information on the temperature-dependent sign and value of the exchange interaction in strongly coupled spin triads.     

极化中子衍射及在电子自旋密度研究中的应用

极化中子衍射方法常用于研究含未配对电子化合物中电子自旋密度的分布．分子中电子自旋密度分布从一个独特的角度反映化合物的磁性质．本文介绍极化中子衍射方法的背景知识和基本原理．包括中子源、中子和X射线衍射、极化中子衍射,以及一些常用的实验数据处理方法．选用几个实例总结了用极化中子衍射方法得到的电子自旋密度分布在无机和有机化学中的应用．通过单分子磁体[Fe8O2（OH）12（tacn）6]^8＋和氰基桥联化合物K2[Mn（H2O）2]3[Mo（CN）7]2·6H2O,说明如何用该方法研究金属原子间的磁相互作用;并通过Ru（acac）3这个只含一个未配对电子的化合物来说明如何获得化合物中金属和配体上小的自旋密度;最后介绍了该方法在nitronylnitroxide自由基研究中的应用．     

SimLabel: a graphical user interface to simulate continuous wave EPR spectra from site‐directed spin labeling experiments

Site‐directed spin labeling (SDSL) combined with continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (cw EPR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique to reveal, at the residue level, structural transitions in proteins. SDSL‐EPR is based on the selective grafting of a paramagnetic label on the protein under study, followed by cw EPR analysis. To extract valuable quantitative information from SDSL‐EPR spectra and thus give reliable interpretation on biological system dynamics, numerical simulations of the spectra are required. Such spectral simulations can be carried out by coding in MATLAB using functions from the EasySpin toolbox. For non‐expert users of MATLAB, this could be a complex task or even impede the use of such simulation tool. We developed a graphical user interface called SimLabel dedicated to run cw EPR spectra simulations particularly coming from SDSL‐EPR experiments. Simlabel provides an intuitive way to visualize, simulate, and fit such cw EPR spectra. An example of SDSL‐EPR spectra simulation concerning the study of an intrinsically disordered region undergoing a local induced folding is described and discussed. We believe that this new tool will help the users to rapidly obtain reliable simulated spectra and hence facilitate the interpretation of their results. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved Sensitivity for Imaging Spin Trapped Hydroxyl Radical at 250 MHz

Radicals, including hydroxyl, superoxide, and nitric oxide, play key signaling roles in vivo. Reaction of these free radicals with a spin trap affords more stable paramagnetic nitroxides, but concentrations in vivo still are so low that detection by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is challenging. Three innovative enabling technologies have been combined to substantially improve sensitivity for imaging spin‐trapped radicals at 250 MHz. 1) Spin‐trapped adducts of BMPO have lifetimes that are long enough to make imaging by EPR at 250 MHz feasible. 2) The signal‐to‐noise ratio of rapid‐scan EPR is substantially higher than for conventional continuous‐wave EPR. 3) An improved algorithm permits image reconstruction with a spectral dimension that encompasses the full 50 G spectrum of the BMPO–OH spin adduct without requiring the wide sweeps that would be needed for filtered backprojection. A 2D spectral–spatial image is shown for a phantom containing ca. 5 μM BMPO–OH.     

Solid-phase mechanochemical incorporation of a spin label into cellulose

Samples of cellulose labeled with stable nitroxyl radicals were prepared by mechanochemical synthesis. The samples were studied by IR and EPR spectroscopies, X-ray phase analysis, and electron microscopy. The EPR spectral patterns indicate a uniform distribution of “grafted” paramagnetic centers over the cellulose macromolecular chains. X-Ray diffraction patterns obtained and the results of crystallinity index calculations for the samples showed that strong bonding of spin labels causes changes in the cellulose structure up to nearly complete amorphization of the material. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1127–1130, May, 2005.     

Improved spin trapping properties by beta-cyclodextrin-cyclic nitrone conjugate

Spin trapping using a nitrone and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is commonly employed in the identification of transient radicals in chemical and biological systems. There has also been a growing interest in the pharmacological activity of nitrones, and there is, therefore, a pressing need to develop nitrones with improved spin trapping properties and controlled delivery in cellular systems. The beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD)-cyclic nitrone conjugate, 5-N-beta-cyclodextrin-carboxamide-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (CDNMPO) was synthesized and characterized. 1-D and 2-D NMR show two stereoisomeric forms (i.e., 5S- and 5R-) for CDNMPO. Spin trapping using CDNMPO shows distinctive EPR spectra for superoxide radical anion (O2(*-)) compared to other biologically relevant free radicals. Kinetic analysis of O2(*-) adduct formation and decay using singular value decomposition and pseudoinverse deconvolution methods gave an average bimolecular rate constant of k = 58 +/- 1 M(-1) s(-1) and a maximum half-life of t(1/2) = 27.5 min at pH 7.0. Molecular modeling was used to rationalize the long-range coupling between the nitrone and the beta-CD, as well as the stability of the O2(*-) adducts. This study demonstrates how a computational approach can aid in the design of spin traps with a relatively high rate of reactivity to O2(*-), and how beta-CD can improve adduct stability via intramolecular interaction with the O2(*-) adduct.     

抗氧化剂活性的电子顺磁共振（EPR）研究

抗氧化剂在化工、食品以及生命科学等领域具有重要的作用,近年来更是由于其在解决与人类健康相关问题方面所起到的重要作用而受到广泛重视。本综述较为详细地介绍了利用电子顺磁共振（EPR）技术测定抗氧化剂活性的原理和方法,系统总结了近年来在天然抗氧化剂以及合成抗氧化剂化学活性方面的EPR研究最新进展,特别是定量测定表征抗氧化活性...     

Spin Filtering Along Chiral Polymers

Spin‐dependent conduction and polarization in chiral polymers were studied for polymers organized as self‐assembled monolayers with conduction along the polymer backbone, namely, along its longer axis. Large spin polarization and magnetoresistance effects were observed, showing a clear dependence on the secondary structure of the polymer. The results indicate that the spin polarization process does not include spin flipping and hence it results from backscattering probabilities for the two spin states.     

Delocalization of the unpaired spin density in some niobocene complexes with σ-donor, π-acceptors

Extended Hückel calculations and qualitative MO have been used to analyze the EPR data relevant to the localization of the unpaired spin density in several paramagnetic niobocene complexes with σ-donor π-acceptors, acetylene, aldehyde, ketene, ketenimine, and carbon disulfide.     

Uptake of Cell-Penetrating Peptide RL2 by Human Lung Cancer Cells: Monitoring by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

RL2 is a recombinant analogue of a human κ-casein fragment, capable of penetrating cells and inducing apoptosis of cancer cells with no toxicity to normal cells. The exact mechanism of RL2 penetration into cells remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of RL2 penetration into human lung cancer A549 cells by a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. EPR spectra of A549 cells incubated with RL2 (sRL2) spin-labeled by a highly stable 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl radical were found to contain three components, with their contributions changing with time. The combined EPR and confocal-microscopy data allowed us to assign these three forms of sRL2 to the spin-labeled protein sticking to the membrane of the cell and endosomes, to the spin-labeled protein in the cell interior, and to spin labeled short peptides formed in the cell because of protein digestion. EPR spectroscopy enabled us to follow the kinetics of transformations between different forms of the spin-labeled protein at a minimal spin concentration (3–16 μM) in the cell. The prospects of applications of spin-labeled cell-penetrating peptides to EPR imaging, DNP, and magnetic resonance imaging are discussed, as is possible research on an intrinsically disordered protein in the cell by pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy.     

Electron spin relaxation time of Ni(II) ion in hexapyrazole zinc(II) dinitrate at 300 K

Understanding the electron spin relaxation properties of paramagnetic species is a fundamental requirement to use them as a probe to measure distances between sites in biomolecules by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Even though Ni(II) ion is an essential trace element for many species, relaxation properties are not well understood. Herein, the polycrystalline sample of Ni(II) ion magnetically diluted in Zn(Pyrazole)₆(NO₃)₂ (Ni/ZPN) has been studied in detail by EPR spectroscopy to explore the electron spin relaxation time. Progressive continuous-wave (CW) EPR power saturation study on Ni/ZPN at 300 K yielded 907 mW as the P_1/2 value. The cavity constant (K_Q) has been calculated using tempol in PVA-BA glass matrix and the product of electron spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) and spin–spin relaxation time (T₂) for Ni/ZPN at 300 K has been reported for the first time.     

A Two-Armed Probe for In-Cell DEER Measurements on Proteins**

The application of double electron-electron resonance (DEER) with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) to measure distances in proteins and protein complexes in living cells puts rigorous restraints on the spin-label. The linkage and paramagnetic centers need to resist the reducing conditions of the cell. Rigid attachment of the probe to the protein improves precision of the measured distances. Here, three two-armed Gd^III complexes, Gd^III-CLaNP13a/b/c were synthesized. Rather than the disulfide linkage of most other CLaNP molecules, a thioether linkage was used to avoid reductive dissociation of the linker. The doubly Gd^III labeled N55C/V57C/K147C/T151C variants of T4Lysozyme were measured by 95 GHz DEER. The constructs were measured in vitro, in cell lysate and in Dictyostelium discoideum cells. Measured distances were 4.5 nm, consistent with results from paramagnetic NMR. A narrow distance distribution and typical modulation depth, also in cell, indicate complete and durable labeling and probe rigidity due to the dual attachment sites.     

Spin‐labeling of polymeric micelles and application in probing micelle swelling using EPR spectroscopy

Polymer structure and conformational dynamics are essential to polymer macroscopic properties, but are challenging to probe. We report here a synthetic pathway to chemically add a nitroxide moiety onto block polymers in a mild, aqueous environment and demonstrate its use in a series of polymeric micelles using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The micelles were characterized with several analytical approaches and EPR findings were in general consistent with other approaches. Upon exposure to organic solvents, the line shape changes reflected the micelle swelling and EPR spectral simulations revealed structural information of the swelled micelles. The label introduced via our method can be cleaved and replaced with other probes to report different information site‐specifically. The mild conditions facilitate the future use of EPR in solving biopolymer problems. In combination with other labeling approaches, one can perform polymer spin labeling with different chemistry, so that various information about polymers can be obtained site‐specifically. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1770–1782     

Size effects in the conduction electron spin resonance of anthracite and higher anthraxolite

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of conduction electrons, i.e. Conduction Electron Spin Resonance (CESR), is a powerful tool for studies of carbon samples. Conductive samples cause additional effects in CESR spectra that influence the shape and intensity of the signals. In cases where conduction electrons play a dominant role, whilst the influence of localized paramagnetic centres is small or negligible, the effects because of the spins on conduction electrons will dominate the spectra. It has been shown that for some ratios of the bulk sample sizes (d) to the skin depth (δ), which depend on the electrical conductivity, additional size effects become visible in the line asymmetry parameter A/|B|, which is the ratio of the maximum to the absolute, minimum value of the resonance signal. To study these effects the electrical direct current–conductivity and CESR measurements are carried out for two amorphous bulk coal samples of anthracite and a higher anthraxolite. The observed effects are described and discussed in terms of the Dyson theory. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanoscale inhomogeneities in thermoresponsive triblock copolymers

We present continuous-wave (CW) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy data of the spin probe 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) in aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymers (Pluronic or Poloxamer). TEMPO is notably smaller than the spin probes conventionally used in the context of polymer science and reveals the early emergence of small hydrophobic cavities when PPO strands of several molecules aggregate and collapse upon temperature increase. The occurrence of hydrophobic cavities appears independent of the overall molecular weight of the Pluronics, but clearly depends on the relative PPO/PEO contents. In all the cases studied, the volume fraction of hydrophobic cavities increases in a broad temperature range of ≥40 °C. The appearance of the hydrophobic regions does not seem to be directly correlated to micellization of the polymers. A decrease of the relative PPO amount in the polymers not only hinders collapse of the PPO strands, it can also be described as a site exchange of the spin probes between hydrophobic cavities and the surrounding medium. On the other hand, in cases of high PPO contents, spin probe exchange could not be observed. This suggests that one may potentially control the diffusion of small molecules between the micellar cores and the surrounding medium by adjusting the PEO/PPO ratio of the used Pluronics.