Clean TROSY: compensation for relaxation-induced artifacts

TROSY pulse sequences for recording, e.g., (1)H-(15)N chemical shift correlation spectra of proteins are designed to select only one of four two-dimensional multiplet components. However, all of the variants published so far are prone to relaxation-induced artifacts at the positions of two of the other multiplet components. This article introduces modifications to the two spin-state-selective coherence transfer building blocks of the TROSY mixing sequence resulting in a clean TROSY spectrum with the artifacts largely suppressed. It works by having the new mixing sequence generate peaks of opposite phase at the positions of the relaxation artifacts. The clean TROSY pulse sequence is marginally shorter than the original one and contains the same pulses. Experimental demonstration is presented for the (15)N-labeled proteins RAP 17-97 (N-terminal domain of alpha(2)-macroglobulin receptor associated protein) and EQT, equinatoxin II, from the Mediterranean anemone Actinia equina.