PELDOR Spectroscopy Distance Fingerprinting of the Octameric Outer‐Membrane Protein Wza from Escherichia coli.

Distance fingerprinting : Pulsed electron–electron double resonance spectroscopy (PELDOR) is applied to the octameric membrane protein complex Wza of E. coli. The data yielded a detailed distance fingerprint of its periplasmic region that compares favorably to the crystal structure. These results provide the foundation to study conformation changes from interaction with partner proteins.

     

1H‐Detected Solid‐State NMR Studies of Water‐Inaccessible Proteins In Vitro and In Situ

¹H detection can significantly improve solid‐state NMR spectral sensitivity and thereby allows studying more complex proteins. However, the common prerequisite for ¹H detection is the introduction of exchangeable protons in otherwise deuterated proteins, which has thus far significantly hampered studies of partly water‐inaccessible proteins, such as membrane proteins. Herein, we present an approach that enables high‐resolution ¹H‐detected solid‐state NMR (ssNMR) studies of water‐inaccessible proteins, and that even works in highly complex environments such as cellular surfaces. In particular, the method was applied to study the K⁺ channel KcsA in liposomes and in situ in native bacterial cell membranes. We used our data for a dynamic analysis, and we show that the selectivity filter, which is responsible for ion conduction and highly conserved in K⁺ channels, undergoes pronounced molecular motion. We expect this approach to open new avenues for biomolecular ssNMR.     

Magnetic Resonance of Paramagnetic Complexes

The line width of the ESR and NMR signals of paramagnetic transition metal complexes is determined mainly by the electron spin-lattice relaxation time τ_e. Values of τ_e greater than 10^?9 lead to ESR spectra that are readily resolved, while values smaller than 10^?11 give NMR spectra having small line widths. Since fast relaxation processes are effective in nearly all transition metal complexes with several unpaired electrons and in all complexes having an orbitally degenerate ground state, the NMR method has a wider scope. The sign and magnitude of the electron-nucleus coupling can be determined with great sensitivity from the NMR spectra, whereas only the magnitude of this interaction can be determined from the ESR spectra. Free spin densities can be found very accurately from the NMR shifts, and the method can therefore be advantageously applied to kinetic measurements, e.g. on short-lived contact complexes.     

High-spin chloro mononuclear MnIII complexes: a multifrequency high-field EPR study.

The isolation, structural characterization, and electronic properties of two six-coordinated chloromanganese (III) complexes, [Mn(terpy)(Cl)3] (1) and [Mn(Phterpy)(Cl)3] (2), are reported (terpy = 2,2':6'2"-terpyridine, Phterpy = 4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2"-terpyridine). These complexes complement a series of mononuclear azide and fluoride Mn(lll) complexes synthesized with neutral N-tridentate ligands, [Mn(L)(X)3] (X = F- or N3 and L = terpy or bpea [N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylamine)], previously described. Similar to these previous complexes, 1 and 2 exhibit a Jahn-Teller distortion of the octahedron, characteristic of a high-spin Mn(III) complex (S = 2). The analysis of the crystallographic data shows that, in both cases, the manganese ion lies in the center of a distorted octahedron characterized by an elongation along the tetragonal axis. Their electronic properties were investigated by multifrequency EPR (190-475 GHz) performed in the solid state at different temperatures (5-15 K). This study confirms our previous results and further shows that: i) the sign of D is correlated with the nature of the tetragonal distortion; ii) the magnitude of D is not sensitive to the nature of the anions in our series of rhombic complexes, contrary to the porphyrinic systems; iii) the [E/D] values (0.124 for 1 and 0.085 for 2) are smaller compared to those found for the [Mn(L)(X)3] complexes (in the range of 0.146 to 0.234); and iv) the E term increases when the ligand-field strength of the equatorial ligands decreases.     

Characterization of membrane proteins in isolated native cellular membranes by dynamic nuclear polarization solid-state NMR spectroscopy without purification and reconstitution

Membrane proteins in their native cellular membranes are accessible by dynamic nuclear polarization magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy without the need of purification and reconstitution (see picture). Dynamic nuclear polarization is essential to achieve the required gain in sensitivity to observe the membrane protein of interest.