Carbon-13 NMR shielding in the twenty common amino acids: comparisons with experimental results in proteins

We have used ab initio quantum chemical techniques to compute the (13)C(alpha) and (13)C(beta) shielding surfaces for the 14 amino acids not previously investigated (R. H. Havlin et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 11951-11958) in their most popular conformations. The spans (Omega = sigma(33) - sigma(11)) of all the tensors reported here are large ( approximately 34 ppm) and there are only very minor differences between helical and sheet residues. This is in contrast to the previous report in which Val, Ile and Thr were reported to have large ( approximately 12 ppm) differences in Omega between helical and sheet geometries. Apparently, only the beta-branched (beta-disubstituted) amino acids have such large CSA span (Omega) differences; however, there are uniformly large differences in the solution-NMR-determined CSA (Deltasigma = sigma(orth) - sigma(par)) between helices and sheets in all amino acids considered. This effect is overwhelmingly due to a change in shielding tensor orientation. With the aid of such shielding tensor orientation information, we computed Deltasigma values for all of the amino acids in calmodulin/M13 and ubiquitin. For ubiquitin, we find only a 2.7 ppm rmsd between theory and experiment for Deltasigma over an approximately 45 ppm range, a 0.96 slope, and an R(2) = 0.94 value when using an average solution NMR structure. We also report C(beta) shielding tensor results for these same amino acids, which reflect the small isotropic chemical shift differences seen experimentally, together with similar C(beta) shielding tensor magnitudes and orientations. In addition, we describe the results of calculations of C(alpha), C(beta), C(gamma)1, C(gamma)2, and C(delta) shifts in the two isoleucine residues in bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and the four isoleucines in a cytochrome c and demonstrate that the side chain chemical shifts are strongly influenced by chi(2) torsion angle effects. There is very good agreement between theory and experiment using either X-ray or average solution NMR structures. Overall, these results show that both C(alpha) backbone chemical shift anisotropy results as well as backbone and side chain (13)C isotropic shifts can now be predicted with good accuracy by using quantum chemical methods, which should facilitate solution structure determination/refinement using such shielding tensor surface information.     

Determinations of 15N chemical shift anisotropy magnitudes in a uniformly 15N,13C-labeled microcrystalline protein by three-dimensional magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Amide 15N chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors provide quantitative insight into protein structure and dynamics. Experimental determinations of 15N CSA tensors in biologically relevant molecules have typically been performed by NMR relaxation studies in solution, goniometric analysis of single-crystal spectra, or slow magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments of microcrystalline samples. Here we present measurements of 15N CSA tensor magnitudes in a protein of known structure by three-dimensional MAS solid-state NMR. Isotropic 15N, 13C alpha, and 13C' chemical shifts in two dimensions resolve site-specific backbone amide recoupled CSA line shapes in the third dimension. Application of the experiments to the 56-residue beta1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1) enabled 91 independent determinations of 15N tensors at 51 of the 55 backbone amide sites, for which 15N-13C alpha and/or 15N-13C' cross-peaks were resolved in the two-dimensional experiment. For 37 15N signals, both intra- and interresidue correlations were resolved, enabling direct comparison of two experimental data sets to enhance measurement precision. Systematic variations between beta-sheet and alpha-helix residues are observed; the average value for the anisotropy parameter, delta (delta = delta(zz) - delta(iso)), for alpha-helical residues is 6 ppm greater than that for the beta-sheet residues. The results show a variation in delta of 15N amide backbone sites between -77 and -115 ppm, with an average value of -103.5 ppm. Some sites (e.g., G41) display smaller anisotropy due to backbone dynamics. In contrast, we observe an unusually large 15N tensor for K50, a residue that has an atypical, positive value for the backbone phi torsion angle. To our knowledge, this is the most complete experimental analysis of 15N CSA magnitude to date in a solid protein. The availability of previous high-resolution crystal and solution NMR structures, as well as detailed solid-state NMR studies, will enhance the value of these measurements as a benchmark for the development of ab initio calculations of amide 15N shielding tensor magnitudes.     

Structural and solvent effects on the 13C and 15N NMR chemical shifts of indoloquinoline alkaloids: experimental and DFT study

Indoloquinoline alkaloids represent an important class of antimalarial, antibacterial and antiviral compounds. They have been shown to bind to DNA via intercalation preferentially at GC-rich sequences containing nonalternating CC sites. The stability of complexes formed with biological macromolecules depends on noncovalent binding. In the present study, the ability of indoloquinolines to form intermolecular interactions with solvents was investigated by using NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP/6-31G**) calculations. NMR data measured for indoloquinoline bases and the corresponding hydrochlorides are discussed in relation to the structure. DFT calculations of shielding constants in vacuo and in solution allowed the investigation of the influence of the environment on the NMR parameters. Calculations incorporating solvent effects indicated significant changes in the anisotropy of the electron distribution, reflected in the span of the chemical shielding tensor (Omega = sigma11 - sigma33). Solvent effects on the span of the 13C and 15N shielding tensor depended on the type of atom and the data indicated a significant influence of solute-solvent interactions.     

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the chemical shielding tensors of (13)C(alpha) of alanine, valine, and leucine residues in solid peptides and in proteins in solution

We have carried out a solid-state magic-angle sample-spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic investigation of the (13)C(alpha) chemical shielding tensors of alanine, valine, and leucine residues in a series of crystalline peptides of known structure. For alanine and leucine, which are not branched at the beta-carbon, the experimental chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) spans (Omega) are large, about 30 ppm, independent of whether the residues adopt helical or sheet geometries, and are in generally good accord with Omega values calculated by using ab initio Hartree-Fock quantum chemical methods. The experimental Omegas for valine C(alpha) in two peptides (in sheet geometries) are also large and in good agreement with theoretical predictions. In contrast, the "CSAs" (Deltasigma) obtained from solution NMR data for alanine, valine, and leucine residues in proteins show major differences, with helical residues having Deltasigma values of approximately 6 ppm while sheet residues have Deltasigma approximately 27 ppm. The origins of these differences are shown to be due to the different definitions of the CSA. When defined in terms of the solution NMR CSA, the solid-state results also show small helical but large sheet CSA values. These results are of interest since they lead to the idea that only the beta-branched amino acids threonine, valine, and isoleucine can have small (static) tensor spans, Omega (in helical geometries), and that the small helical "CSAs" seen in solution NMR are overwhelmingly dominated by changes in tensor orientation, from sheet to helix. These results have important implications for solid-state NMR structural studies which utilize the CSA span, Omega, to differentiate between helical and sheet residues. Specifically, there will be only a small degree of spectral editing possible in solid proteins since the spans, Omega, for the dominant nonbranched amino acids are quite similar. Editing on the basis of Omega will, however, be very effective for many Thr, Val, and Ileu residues, which frequently have small ( approximately 15-20 ppm) helical CSA (Omega) spans.     

Solid-state NMR and quantum chemical investigations of 13Calpha shielding tensor magnitudes and orientations in peptides: determining phi and psi torsion angles

We report the experimental determination of the (13)C(alpha) chemical shift tensors of Ala, Leu, Val, Phe, and Met in a number of polycrystalline peptides with known X-ray or de novo solid-state NMR structures. The 700 Hz dipolar coupling between (13)C(alpha) and its directly bonded (14)N permits extraction of both the magnitude and the orientation of the shielding tensor with respect to the C(alpha)-N bond vector. The chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) is recoupled under magic-angle spinning using the SUPER technique (Liu et al., J. Magn. Reson. 2002, 155, 15-28) to yield quasi-static chemical shift powder patterns. The tensor orientation is extracted from the (13)C-(14)N dipolar modulation of the powder line shapes. The magnitudes and orientations of the experimental (13)C(alpha) chemical shift tensors are found to be in good accord with those predicted from quantum chemical calculations. Using these principal values and orientations, supplemented with previously measured tensor orientations from (13)C-(15)N and (13)C-(1)H dipolar experiments, we are able to predict the (phi, psi, chi(1)) angles of Ala and Val within 5.8 degrees of the crystallographic values. This opens up a route to accurate determination of torsion angles in proteins based on shielding tensor magnitude and orientation information using labeled compounds, as well as the structure elucidation of noncrystalline organic compounds using natural abundance (13)C NMR techniques.     

Experimental and computational characterization of the 17O quadrupole coupling and magnetic shielding tensors for p-nitrobenzaldehyde and formaldehyde

We have used solid-state 17O NMR experiments to determine the 17O quadrupole coupling (QC) tensor and chemical shift (CS) tensor for the carbonyl oxygen in p-nitro-[1-(17)O]benzaldehyde. Analyses of solid-state 17O NMR spectra obtained at 11.75 and 21.15 T under both magic-angle spinning (MAS) and stationary conditions yield the magnitude and relative orientation of these two tensors: CQ = 10.7 +/- 0.2 MHz, etaQ = 0.45 +/- 0.10, delta11 = 1050 +/- 10, delta22 = 620 +/- 10, delta33 = -35 +/- 10, alpha = 90 +/- 10, beta = 90 +/- 2, gamma = 90 +/- 10 degrees. The principal component of the 17O CS tensor with the most shielding, delta33, is perpendicular to the H-C=O plane, and the tensor component with the least shielding, delta11, lies along the C=O bond. For the 17O QC tensor, the largest (chi(zz)) and smallest (chi(xx)) components are both in the H-C=O plane being perpendicular and parallel to the C=O bond, respectively. This study represents the first time that these two fundamental 17O NMR tensors have been simultaneously determined for the carbonyl oxygen of an aldehyde functional group by solid-state 17O NMR. The reported experimental solid-state 17O NMR results provide the first set of reliable data to allow evaluation of the effect of electron correlation on individual CS tensor components. We found that the electron correlation effect exhibits significant influence on 17O chemical shielding in directions within the H-C=O plane. We have also carefully re-examined the existing experimental data on the 17O spin-rotation tensor for formaldehyde and proposed a new set of best "experimental" 17O chemical shielding tensor components: sigma11 = -1139 +/- 80, sigma22 = -533 +/- 80, sigma33 = 431 +/- 5, and sigma(iso) = -414 +/- 60 ppm. Using this new set of data, we have evaluated the accuracy of quantum chemical calculations of the 17O CS tensors for formaldehyde at the Hartree-Fock (HF), density-functional theory (DFT), M?ller-Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2), and coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) levels of theory. The conclusion is that, while results from HF and DFT tend to underestimate the electron correlation effect, the MP2 method overestimates its contribution. The CCSD results are in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Formation of {Cu6[S2P(OC2H5)2]6} on Cu2S surfaces from aqueous solutions of the KS2P(OC2H5)2 collector: scanning electron microscopy and solid-state 31P cross-polarization/magic angle spinning and static 65Cu NMR studies

The interactions of synthetic chalcocite surfaces with diethyldithiophosphate, potassium salt, K[S2P(OC2H5)2], were studied by means of 31P cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To identify the species formed on the Cu2S surfaces, a polycrystalline {CuI6[S2P(OC2H5)2]6} cluster was synthesized and analyzed by SEM, powder X-ray diffraction techniques and solid-state 31P CP/MAS NMR and static 65Cu NMR spectroscopy. 31P chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) parameters, delta(cs) and eta(cs), were estimated and used for assigning the bridging type of diethyldithiophosphate ligands in the {CuI6[S2P(OC2H5)2]6} cluster. The latter data were compared to 31P CSA parameters estimated from the spinning sideband patterns in 31P NMR spectra of the collector-treated mineral surfaces: formation of polycrystalline {CuI6[S2P(OC2H5)2]6} on the Cu2S surfaces is suggested. The second-order quadrupolar line shape of 65Cu was simulated, and the NMR interaction parameters, CQ and etaQ, for the copper(I) diethyldithiophosphate cluster were obtained.     

Proton magnetic shielding tensor in liquid water

The nuclear magnetic shielding tensor is a sensitive probe of the local electronic environment, providing information about molecular structure and intermolecular interactions. The magnetic shielding tensor of the water proton has been determined in hexagonal ice, but in liquid water, where the tensor is isotropically averaged by rapid molecular tumbling, only the trace of the tensor has been measured. We report here the first determination of the proton shielding anisotropy in liquid water, which, when combined with chemical shift data, yields the principal shielding components parallel (sigma(parallel)) and perpendicular (sigma(perpendicular)) to the O-H bond. We obtained the shielding anisotropy sigma(parallel)-sigma(perpendicular) by measuring the proton spin relaxation rate as a function of magnetic induction field in a water sample where dipole-dipole couplings are suppressed by H/D isotope dilution. The temperature dependence of the shielding components, determined from 0 to 80 degrees C, reflects vibrational averaging over a distribution of instantaneous hydrogen-bond geometries in the liquid and thus contains unique information about the temperature-dependent structure of liquid water. The temperature dependence of the shielding anisotropy is found to be 4 times stronger than that of the isotropic shielding. We analyze the liquid water shielding components in the light of previous NMR and theoretical results for vapor and ice. We show that a simple two-state model of water structure fails to give a consistent interpretation of the shielding data and we argue that a more detailed analysis is needed that quantitatively relates the shielding components to hydrogen bond geometry.     

Toward direct determination of conformations of protein building units from multidimensional NMR experiments part II: a theoretical case study of formyl-L-valine amide

Chemical shielding anisotropy tensors have been determined for all twenty-seven characteristic conformers of For-L-Val-NH2 using the GIAO-RHF formalism with the 6-31 + G* and TZ2P basis sets. The individual chemical shifts and their conformational averages have been compared to their experimental counterparts taken from the BioMagnetic Resonance Bank (BMRB). At the highest level of theory applied, for all nuclei but the amide proton, deviations between statistically averaged theoretical and experimental chemical shifts are as low as 1-3%. Correlated chemical shift plots of selected nuclei, as function of the respective phi, psi, chi1, and chi2 torsional angles, have been generated. On two-dimensional chemical shift-chemical shift plots, for example, 1H(NH)-15N(NH) and 15N(NH)-13Calpha, regions corresponding to major conformational clusters have been identified, providing a basis for the quantitative identification of conformers from NMR shift data. Experimental NMR resonances of nuclei of valine residues have been deduced from 18 selected proteins, resulting in 93 1Halpha-13Calpha chemical shift pairs. These experimental results have been compared to relevant ab initio values revealing remarkable correlation between the two sets of data. Correlations of 1Halpha and 13Calpha values with backbone conformational parameters (phi and psi) have also been found for all pairs (e.g. 1Halpha/phi and 13Calpha/phi) but 1Halpha/psi. Overall, the appealing idea of establishing backbone folding of proteins by employing chemical shift information alone, obtained from selected multiple-pulse NMR experiments (e.g. 2D-HSQC, 2D-HMQC, and 3D-HNCA), has received further support.     

New Nuclear‐Spin‐Induced Cotton–Mouton Effect in Fluids at High DC Magnetic Field

Based on Buckingham and Pople’s theory of magnetic double refraction, a theoretical expression is derived for a new Cotton–Mouton effect ${\phi _{{\rm{C}} - {\rm{M}}}^{(IB)} }$ in liquid induced by the crossed effect between the high dc magnetic field B₀ and the nuclear magnetic moment ${m_z^{(I)} }$ . It contains temperature‐independent and ‐dependent parts. The latter is proportional to the product between anisotropy of polarizability and the nuclear magnetic shielding tensor. For this new effect ${\phi _{{\rm{C}} - {\rm{M}}}^{(IB)} }$ , its order in magnitude for a molecule with large polarizability anisotropy is estimated to be comparable to the nuclear‐spin‐induced optical Faraday rotation (NSOFR). In the multipass approach, ${\phi _{{\rm{C}} - {\rm{M}}}^{(IB)} }$ can be eliminated by time‐reversal symmetry arguments, but NSOFR is enhanced.     

Parameterization of peptide 13C carbonyl chemical shielding anisotropy in molecular dynamics simulations.

NMR chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA) relaxation is an important tool in the study of dynamical processes in proteins and nucleic acids in solution. Herein, we investigate how dynamical variations in local geometry affect the chemical shielding anisotropy relaxation of the carbonyl carbon nucleus, using the following protocol: 1) Using density functional theory, the carbonyl (13)C' CSA is computed for 103 conformations of the model peptide group N-methylacetamide (NMA). 2) The variations in computed (13)C' CSA parameters are fitted against quadratic hypersurfaces containing cross terms between the variables. 3) The predictive quality of the CSA hypersurfaces is validated by comparing the predicted and de novo calculated (13)C' CSAs for 20 molecular dynamics snapshots. 4) The CSA fluctuations and their autocorrelation and cross correlation functions due to bond-length and bond-angle distortions are predicted for a chemistry Harvard molecular mechanics (CHARMM) molecular dynamics trajectory of Ca(2+)-saturated calmodulin and GB3 from the hypersurfaces, as well as for a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of an NMA trimer using a quantum mechanically correct forcefield. We find that the fluctuations can be represented by a 0.93 scaling factor of the CSA tensor for both R(1) and R(2) relaxations for residues in helix, coil, and sheet alike. This result is important, as it establishes that (13)C' relaxation is a valid tool for measurement of interesting dynamical events in proteins.     

Ortho effect in fluorobenzenes: cross-correlated relaxation and quantum chemical studies

An early solid-state NMR study of the shielding tensors in substituted fluorobenzenes had indicated the presence of the 'ortho effect'. This was confirmed recently in the liquid state from a study of cross-correlated relaxation, which gives a handle on the shielding tensor. We report here a combined experimental and computational study on substituted fluorobenzenes where the ortho substituent is varied systematically. Experimental measurements of the longitudinal relaxation of 19F indicate the cross-correlation between the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) of fluorine and its dipolar interaction with the ortho proton, and provide a measure of the CSA orientation parameter. This parameter is obtained also from quantum chemical calculations of the 19F CSA tensor. We establish a correlation between the CSA orientation parameter and linear free energy parameters by resorting to a multi-parameter regression analysis. Excellent correlation is obtained for most of these substituents only when a parameter for the ortho effect is included.     

An investigation of lanthanum coordination compounds by using solid-state 139La NMR spectroscopy and relativistic density functional theory

Lanthanum-139 NMR spectra of stationary samples of several solid La(III) coordination compounds have been obtained at applied magnetic fields of 11.75 and 17.60 T. The breadth and shape of the 139La NMR spectra of the central transition are dominated by the interaction between the 139La nuclear quadrupole moment and the electric field gradient (EFG) at that nucleus; however, the influence of chemical-shift anisotropy on the NMR spectra is non-negligible for the majority of the compounds investigated. Analysis of the experimental NMR spectra reveals that the 139La quadrupolar coupling constants (C(Q)) range from 10.0 to 35.6 MHz, the spans of the chemical-shift tensor (Omega) range from 50 to 260 ppm, and the isotropic chemical shifts (delta(iso)) range from -80 to 178 ppm. In general, there is a correlation between the magnitudes of C(Q) and Omega, and delta(iso) is shown to depend on the La coordination number. Magnetic-shielding tensors, calculated by using relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation density functional theory (ZORA-DFT) and incorporating scalar only or scalar plus spin-orbit relativistic effects, qualitatively reproduce the experimental chemical-shift tensors. In general, the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling yields results that are in better agreement with those from the experiment. The magnetic-shielding calculations and experimentally determined Euler angles can be used to predict the orientation of the chemical-shift and EFG tensors in the molecular frame. This study demonstrates that solid-state 139La NMR spectroscopy is a useful characterization method and can provide insight into the molecular structure of lanthanum coordination compounds.     

Calculations of the contribution of ring currents to the chemical shielding anisotropy

Ring currents can exert a large effect upon the chemical shielding of NMR resonances. The analytical expression developed by Waugh and Fessenden (Waugh, J. S.; Fessenden, R. W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1957, 79, 846) and Johnson and Bovey (Johnson, C. E.; Bovey, F. A. J. Chem. Phys. 1957, 29, 1012) only quantifies the contribution of ring currents to the isotropic component of the shielding tensor. In the work described here an additional analytical expression is developed so that the contribution of ring currents to the full shielding tensor can be calculated, allowing an estimate of the influence of ring currents upon the chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA, Deltasigma). To test that this pair of analytical expressions can provide a reasonable estimate of the contribution of ring currents to the full shielding tensor a series of density functional calculations (DFT) were carried out. A shielding tensor in a model compound was calculated in two distinct ways. For the first series, DFT shielding calculations of the model compound were carried out in the presence of a benzene ring. For the second series a ring current contribution to the shielding tensor was calculated via the new expressions, and this was added to the result of a DFT shielding calculation which used in place of benzene the nonaromatic analogue 1,3 cyclohexadiene. The two series of results proved to be in excellent agreement. The pair of analytical expressions are used to calculate ring current contributions to the CSA (Deltasigma) of 1H(N) backbone amide resonances in a structure of the second type 2 module from the protein fibronectin. Significant CSA variations are predicted in particular for the 1H(N) of G42 which is most likely involved in a N-H...tpi aromatic hydrogen bond.     

Determination of carbon-13 chemical shielding tensor in the liquid state by combining NMR relaxation experiments and quantum chemical calculations

Based on multifield NMR relaxation measurements and quantum chemistry calculations, a strategy aiming at the determination of the chemical shielding tensor (CST) in the liquid state is described. Brownian motions in the liquid state restrict the direct observation of CST to a third of its trace (isotropic shift), and even if CST can be probed indirectly through some spin relaxation rates (specific longitudinal relaxation rates, dipolar chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) cross-correlation rates), an insufficient number of experimental parameters prevents its complete determination. This lack of information can be compensated by using quantum chemical calculations so as to obtain the molecular CST orientation even if a relatively modest level of computation is used. As relaxation parameters involve a dynamic part, a prerequisite is the determination of the molecular anisotropic reorientation which can be obtained independently from dipolar cross-relaxation rates. A polycyclic molecule exhibiting a well-characterized anisotropic reorientation serves as an example for such a study, and some (but not all) carbon-13 chemical shielding tensors can be accurately determined. A comparison with solid-state NMR data and numerous chemical quantum calculations are presented.     

A solid-state NMR investigation of single-source precursors for group 12 metal selenides; M[N(iPr2PSe)2]2 (M = Zn, Cd, Hg)

The first solid-state NMR investigation of dichalcogenoimidodiphosphinato complexes, M[N(R(2)PE)(2)](n), is presented. The single-source precursors for metal-selenide materials, M[N((i)Pr(2)PSe)(2)](2) (M = Zn, Cd, Hg), were studied by solid-state (31)P, (77)Se, (113)Cd, and (199)Hg NMR at 4.7, 7.0, and 11.7 T, representing the only (77)Se NMR measurements, and in the case of Cd[N((i)Pr(2)PSe)(2)](2)(113)Cd NMR measurements, to have been performed on these complexes. Residual dipolar coupling between (14)N and (31)P was observed in solid-state (31)P NMR spectra at 4.7 and 7.0 T yielding average values of R((31)P,(14)N)(eff) = 880 Hz, C(Q)((14)N) = 3.0 MHz, (1)J((31)P,(14)N)(iso) = 15 Hz, alpha = 90 degrees , beta = 26 degrees . The solid-state NMR spectra obtained were used to determine the respective phosphorus, selenium, cadmium, and mercury chemical shift tensors along with the indirect spin-spin coupling constants: (1)J((77)Se,(31)P)(iso), (1)J((111/113)Cd,(77)Se)(iso), (1)J((199)Hg,(77)Se)(iso), and (2)J((199)Hg,(31)P)(iso). Density functional theory magnetic shielding tensor calculations were performed yielding the orientations of the corresponding chemical shift tensors. For this series of complexes the phosphorus magnetic shielding tensors are essentially identical, the selenium magnetic shielding tensors are also very similar with respect to each other, and the magnetic shielding tensors of the central metals, cadmium and mercury, display near axial symmetry demonstrating an expected deviation from local S(4) symmetry.     

Residue-specific 13C' CSA tensor principal components for ubiquitin: correlation between tensor components and hydrogen bonding

The residue-specific 13C' CSA tensor principal components, sigma(11), sigma(22), sigma(33), and the tensor orientation defined by the rotation angles beta and gamma have been determined by solution NMR for uniformly labeled ubiquitin partially aligned in four different media. Spurious chemical shift deviations due to solvent effects were corrected with an offset calculated by linear regression of the residual dipolar couplings and chemical shifts at increasing alignment strengths. Analysis of this effect revealed no obvious correlation to solvent exposure. Data obtained in solution from a protein offer a better sampling of 13C' CSA for different amino acid types in a complex heterogeneous environment, thereby allowing for the evaluation of structural variables that would be challenging to achieve by other methods. The 13C' CSA principal components cluster about the average values previously determined, and experimental correlations observed between sigma(11), sigma(22) tensorial components and C'O...H(N) hydrogen bonding are discussed. The inverse association of sigma(11) and sigma(22) exemplify the calculated and solid-state NMR observed effect on the tensor components by hydrogen bonding. We also show that 13C' CSA tensors are sensitive to hydrogen-bond length but not hydrogen-bond angle. This differentiation was previously unavailable. Similarly, hydrogen bonding to the conjugated NH of the same peptide plane has no detectable effect. Importantly, the observed weak correlations signify the presence of confounding influences such as nearest-neighbor effects, side-chain conformation, electrostatics, and other long-range factors to the 13C' CSA tensor. These analyses hold future potential for exploration provided that more accurate data from a larger number of proteins and alignments become available.     

Nuclear spin relaxation due to chemical shift anisotropy of gas-phase 129Xe

Nuclear spin relaxation provides detailed dynamical information on molecular systems and materials. Here, first-principles modeling of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) relaxation time for the prototypic monoatomic (129)Xe gas is carried out, both complementing and predicting the results of NMR measurements. Our approach is based on molecular dynamics simulations combined with pre-parametrized ab initio binary nuclear shielding tensors, an "NMR force field". By using the Redfield relaxation formalism, the simulated CSA time correlation functions lead to spectral density functions that, for the first time, quantitatively determine the experimental spin-lattice relaxation times T(1). The quality requirements on both the Xe-Xe interaction potential and binary shielding tensor are investigated in the context of CSA T(1). Persistent dimers Xe(2) are found to be responsible for the CSA relaxation mechanism in the low-density limit of the gas, completely in line with the earlier experimental findings.     

Solid-state natural abundance 25Mg NMR studies of Na2MgEDTA x 4 H2O--a possible new reference compound for 25Mg NMR spectroscopy

Natural abundance solid-state (25)Mg NMR measurements were made of the disodium salt of magnesium ethylenediaminetetraacetate tetrahydrate (Na(2)MgEDTA x 4 H(2)O). Both magic angle spinning (MAS) and static experiments were employed to determine the quadrupole coupling constant (C(q)) and the asymmetry parameter (eta(q)) of the electric field gradient (EFG) tensor associated with (25)Mg in this compound, giving the values C(q) = 1.675(5) MHz and eta(q) = 0.15(1). The isotropic chemical shift was determined to be delta(iso) = 0.25(10) ppm (relative to 11 M MgCl(2) aqueous solution) and a small chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) contribution (approximately -13 ppm) was detected, one of the first CSA reports in (25)Mg NMR. This compound exhibited remarkably good (25)Mg NMR sensitivity, due to its fast spin-lattice relaxation and modest quadrupole coupling, which allowed its use as a secondary shift reference and as a test sample for the implementation and optimisation of signal-enhancement methods in (25)Mg NMR spectroscopy, such as double frequency sweeps (DFS) and the use of adiabatic hyperbolic secant (HS) and WURST pulses.     

31P NMR chemical shifts in hypervalent oxyphosphoranes and polymeric orthophosphates

We report the first quantum chemical investigation of the solid- and solution-state 31P NMR chemical shifts in models for phosphoryl transfer enzyme reaction intermediates and in polymeric inorganic phosphates. The 31P NMR chemical shifts of five- and six-coordinate oxyphosphoranes containing a variety of substitutions at phosphorus, as well as four-coordinate polymeric orthophosphates and four-coordinate phosphonates, are predicted with a slope of 1.00 and an R2= 0.993 (N = 34), corresponding to a 3.8 ppm (or 2.1%) error over the entire 178.3 ppm experimental chemical shift range, using Hartree-Fock methods. For the oxyphosphoranes, we used either experimental crystallographic structures or, when these were not available, fully geometry optimized molecular structures. For the four-coordinate phosphonates we used X-ray structures together with charge field perturbation, to represent lattice interactions. For the three-dimensional orthophosphates (BPO4, AlPO4, GaPO4 we again used X-ray structures, but for these inorganic systems we employed a self-consistent charge field perturbation approach on large clusters, to deduce peripheral atom charges. For pentaoxyphosphoranes, the solvent effect on 31P NMR chemical shieldings was found to be very small (<0.5 ppm). The 31P NMR chemical shielding tensors in the pentaoxyphosphoranes were in most cases found to be close to axially symmetric and were dominated by changes in the shielding tensor components in the equatorial plane (sigma22 and sigma33). The isotropic shifts were highly correlated (R2= 0.923) with phosphorus natural bonding orbital charges, with the larger charges being associated with shorter axial P-O bond lengths and, hence, more shielding. Overall, these results should facilitate the use of 31P NMR techniques in investigating the structures of more complex systems, such as phosphoryl transfer enzymes, as well as in investigating other, complex oxide structures.