DNP‐Supported Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy of Proteins Inside Mammalian Cells

DNP-assisted solid-state NMR enables detection of proteins at nanomolar concentrations in fully protonated cellular milieu

With the sensitivity enhancements conferred by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state NMR spectroscopy experiments can attain the necessary sensitivity to detect very low concentrations of proteins. This potentially enables structural investigations of proteins at their endogenous levels in their biological contexts where their native stoichiometries with potential interactors is maintained. Yet, even with DNP, experiments are still sensitivity limited. Moreover, when an isotopically-enriched target protein is present at physiological levels, which typically range from low micromolar to nanomolar concentrations, the isotope content from the natural abundance isotopes in the cellular milieu can outnumber the isotope content of the target protein. Using isotopically enriched yeast prion protein, Sup35NM, diluted into natural abundance yeast lysates, we optimized sample composition. We found that modest cryoprotectant concentrations and fully protonated environments support efficient DNP. We experimentally validated theoretical calculations of the limit of specificity for an isotopically enriched protein in natural abundance cellular milieu. We establish that, using pulse sequences that are selective for adjacent NMR-active nuclei, proteins can be specifically detected in cellular milieu at concentrations in the hundreds of nanomolar. Finally, we find that maintaining native stoichiometries of the protein of interest to the components of the cellular environment may be important for proteins that make specific interactions with cellular constituents.

Measurement of spin-lattice relaxation times in multiphase polymer systems

Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has emerged as a pivotal technique for unraveling the microstructure and dynamics of intricate polymer and biological materials. Within this context, site-specific proton spin-lattice relaxation times in the laboratory frame (T1) and rotating frame (T1ρ) have become indispensable tools for investigating phase separation structures and molecular dynamics in multiphase polymer systems. Notably, the site-specific measurement of proton T1 and T1ρ is usually achieved via 13C detection in polymers, where 1H polarization is typically transferred to 13C via cross polarization (CP). Nevertheless, CP relies on the 1H-13C heteronuclear dipolar couplings, and thus it does not work well for the mobile components. In this study, via the integration of CP and RINEPT (refocused insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer), we propose a robust approach for the measurement of site-specific proton T1 and T1ρ in multiphase polymers. It overcomes the limitation of CP on transferring 1H polarization to 13C in mobile components, and thus enables simultaneous determination of site-specific proton T1 and T1ρ in rigid and mobile components in multiphase polymers in a single experiment. Such experiment can also be used for dynamics-based spectral editing due to the dynamic selectivity of CP- and RINEPT-based polarization transfer process. The proposed experiments are well demonstrated on three typical multiphase polymer systems, poly(methyl methacrylate)/polybutadiene (PMMA/PB) polymer blend, polyurethane (PU) and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene (SBS) elastomers. We envisage the proposed experiments can be a universal avenue for structural and dynamic elucidation of multiphase polymers containing both rigid and mobile components.

Spatially resolved DNP-assisted NMR illuminates the conformational ensemble of α-synuclein in intact viable cells

The protein α-syn adopts a wide variety of conformations including an intrinsically disordered monomeric form and an α-helical rich membrane-associated form that is thought to play an important role in cellular membrane processes. However, despite the high affinity of α-syn for membranes, evidence that the α-helical form of α-syn is adopted inside cells has thus far been indirect. In cell DNP-assisted solid state NMR on frozen samples has the potential to report directly on the entire conformational ensemble. Moreover, because the DNP polarization agent can be dispersed both homogenously and inhomogenously throughout the cellular biomass, in cell DNP-assisted solid state NMR experiments can report either quantitatively upon the structural ensemble or can preferentially report upon the structural ensemble with a spatial bias. Using DNP-assisted MAS NMR we establish that the spectra of purified α-syn in the membrane-associated and intrinsically disordered forms have distinguishable spectra. When the polarization agent is introduced into cells by electroporation and dispersed homogenously, a minority of the α-syn inside HEK293 cells adopts a highly α-helical rich conformation. Alteration of the spatial distribution of the polarization agent preferentially enhances the signal from molecules nearer to the cellular periphery, thus the α-helical rich population is preferentially adopted toward the cellular periphery. This demonstrates how selectively altering the spatial distribution of the DNP polarization agent can be a powerful tool for preferential reporting on specific structural ensembles, paving the way for more nuanced investigations into the conformations that proteins adopt in different areas of the cell.

A Comparative Study of Nitroxide-Based Biradicals for Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Cellular Environments

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a powerful tool to enhance the NMR signals of molecules by transferring polarization from unpaired electron spins to nuclei through microwave irradiation. The resulting signal enhancements can enable the analysis of samples that have previously been intractable by NMR spectroscopy, including proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites in cells. To carry out DNP, the sample is doped with a polarization agent, a biradical containing two nitroxide moieties. DNP applications in cells, however, present significant challenges as nitroxides are often susceptible to the reducing cellular environment. Here, we introduce a novel polarization agent, POPAPOL, that exhibits increased lifetimes under reducing conditions. We also compare its bioresistance and DNP performance with three popular, commercially available polarization agents. Our work indicates that pyrrolidine-based nitroxides can outperform piperidine-based nitroxides in cellular environments, and that future polarization agent designs must carefully balance DNP performance and stability for cellular applications.

Visualizing Proteins in Mammalian Cells by 19 F NMR Spectroscopy

In-cell NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate protein behavior in physiologically relevant environments. Although proven valuable for disordered proteins, we show that in commonly used ¹ H-¹⁵ N HSQC spectra of globular proteins, interactions with cellular components often broaden resonances beyond detection. This contrasts ¹⁹ F spectra in mammalian cells, in which signals are readily observed. Using several proteins, we demonstrate that surface charges and interaction with cellular binding partners modulate linewidths and resonance frequencies. Importantly, we establish that ¹⁹ F paramagnetic relaxation enhancements using stable, rigid Ln(III) chelate pendants, attached via non-reducible thioether bonds, provide an effective means to obtain accurate distances for assessing protein conformations in the cellular milieu.

In-Cell Structural Biology by NMR: The Benefits of the Atomic Scale

In-cell structural biology aims at extracting structural information about proteins or nucleic acids in their native, cellular environment. This emerging field holds great promise and is already providing new facts and outlooks of interest at both fundamental and applied levels. NMR spectroscopy has important contributions on this stage: It brings information on a broad variety of nuclei at the atomic scale, which ensures its great versatility and uniqueness. Here, we detail the methods, the fundamental knowledge, and the applications in biomedical engineering related to in-cell structural biology by NMR. We finally propose a brief overview of the main other techniques in the field (EPR, smFRET, cryo-ET, etc.) to draw some advisable developments for in-cell NMR. In the era of large-scale screenings and deep learning, both accurate and qualitative experimental evidence are as essential as ever to understand the interior life of cells. In-cell structural biology by NMR spectroscopy can generate such a knowledge, and it does so at the atomic scale. This review is meant to deliver comprehensive but accessible information, with advanced technical details and reflections on the methods, the nature of the results, and the future of the field.

Real‐Time NMR Recording of Fermentation and Lipid Metabolism Processes in Live Microalgae Cells

Non‐invasive and real‐time recording of processes in living cells has been limited to detection of small cellular components such as soluble proteins and metabolites. Here we report a multiphase NMR approach using magic‐angle spinning NMR to synchronously follow microbial processes of fermentation, lipid metabolism and structural dynamic changes in live microalgae cells. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii green algae were highly concentrated, introducing dark fermentation and anoxia conditions. Single‐pulse NMR experiments were applied to obtain temperature‐dependent kinetic profiles of the formed fermentation products. Through dynamics‐based spectral editing NMR, simultaneous conversion of galactolipids into TAG and free fatty acids was observed and rapid loss of rigid lipid structures. This suggests that lipolysis under dark and anoxia conditions finally results in the breakdown of cell and organelle membranes, which could be beneficial for recovery of intracellular microbial useful products.

Dynamics properties of membrane proteins in native cell membranes revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Cell membranes provide an environment that is essential to the functions of membrane proteins. Cell membranes are mainly composed of proteins and highly diverse phospholipids. The influence of diverse lipid compositions of native cell membranes on the dynamics of the embedded membrane proteins has not been examined. Here we employ solid-state NMR to investigate the dynamics of E. coli Aquaporin Z (AqpZ) in its native inner cell membranes, and reveal the influence of diverse lipid compositions on the dynamics of AqpZ by comparing it in native cell membranes to that in POPC/POPG bilayers. We demonstrate that the dynamic rigidity of AqpZ generally conserves in both native cell membranes and POPC/POPG bilayers, due to its tightly packed tetrameric structure. In the gel and the liquid crystal phases of lipids, our experimental results show that AqpZ is more dynamic in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. In addition, we observe that phase transitions of lipids in native membranes are less sensitive to temperature variations compared with that in POPC/POPG bilayers, which results in that the dynamics of AqpZ is less affected by the phase transitions of lipids in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. This study provides new insights into the dynamics of membrane proteins in native cell membranes.

In-Cell NMR of Intact Mammalian Cells Preserved with the Cryoprotectants DMSO and Glycerol Have Similar DNP Performance

NMR has the resolution and specificity to determine atomic-level protein structures of isotopically-labeled proteins in complex environments and, with the sensitivity gains conferred by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), NMR has the sensitivity to detect proteins at their endogenous concentrations. Prior work established that DNP MAS NMR is compatible with cellular viability. However, in that work, 15% glycerol, rather than the more commonly used 10% DMSO, was used as the cellular cryoprotectant. Moreover, incubation of cells cryoprotected 15% glycerol with the polarization agent, AMUPol, resulted in an inhomogeneous distribution of AMUPol through the cellular biomass, which resulted in a spatial bias of the NMR peak intensities. Because 10% DMSO is not only the most used cryoprotectant for mammalian cells, but also because DMSO is often used to improve delivery of molecules to cells, we sought to characterize the DNP performance of cells that were incubated with AMUPol and cryoprotected with 10% DMSO. We found that, like cells preserved with 15% glycerol, cells preserved with 10% DMSO retain high viability during DNP MAS NMR experiments if they are frozen at a controlled rate. However, DMSO did not improve the dispersion of AMUPol throughout the cellular biomass. Cells preserved with 15% glycerol and with 10% DMSO had similar DNP performance for both the maximal DNP enhancements as well as the inhomogeneous dispersion of AMUPol throughout the cellular biomass. Therefore, 10% DMSO and 15% glycerol are both appropriate cryoprotectant systems for DNP-assisted MAS NMR of intact viable mammalian cells.

In-Cell Sensitivity-Enhanced NMR of Intact Viable Mammalian Cells

NMR has the resolution and specificity to determine atomic-level protein structures of isotopically labeled proteins in complex environments, and with the sensitivity gains conferred by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), NMR has the sensitivity to detect proteins at their endogenous concentrations. However, DNP sensitivity enhancements are critically dependent on experimental conditions and sample composition. While some of these conditions are theoretically compatible with cellular viability, the effects of others on cellular sample integrity are unknown. Uncertainty about the integrity of cellular samples limits the utility of experimental outputs of in-cell experiments. Using several measures, we establish conditions that support DNP enhancements that can enable detection of micromolar concentrations of proteins in experimentally tractable times that are compatible with cellular viability. Taken together, we establish DNP-assisted MAS NMR as a technique for structural investigations of biomolecules in intact viable cells that can be phenotyped both before and after NMR experiments.

Highly Efficient Trityl-Nitroxide Biradicals for Biomolecular High-Field Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a powerful method to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state magnetic nuclear resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. However, its biomolecular applications at high magnetic fields (preferably>14 T) have so far been limited by the intrinsically low efficiency of polarizing agents and sample preparation aspects. Herein, we report a new class of trityl-nitroxide biradicals, dubbed SNAPols that combine high DNP efficiency with greatly enhanced hydrophilicity. SNAPol-1, the best compound in the series, shows DNP enhancement factors at 18.8 T of more than 100 in small molecules and globular proteins and also exhibits strong DNP enhancements in membrane proteins and cellular preparations. By integrating optimal sensitivity and high resolution, we expect widespread applications of this new polarizing agent in high-field DNP/ssNMR spectroscopy, especially for complex biomolecules.

Mixed-Valence Compounds as Polarizing Agents for Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Solids*

Herein, we investigate a novel set of polarizing agents—mixed‐valence compounds—by theoretical and experimental methods and demonstrate their performance in high‐field dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR experiments in the solid state. Mixed‐valence compounds constitute a group of molecules in which molecular mobility persists even in solids. Consequently, such polarizing agents can be used to perform Overhauser‐DNP experiments in the solid state, with favorable conditions for dynamic nuclear polarization formation at ultra‐high magnetic fields.

On-Cell NMR Contributions to Membrane Receptor Binding Characterization

NMR spectroscopy has matured into a powerful tool to characterize interactions between biological molecules at atomic resolution, most importantly even under near to native (physiological) conditions. The field of in-cell NMR aims to study proteins and nucleic acids inside living cells. However, cells interrogate their environment and are continuously modulated by external stimuli. Cell signaling processes are often initialized by membrane receptors on the cell surface; therefore, characterizing their interactions at atomic resolution by NMR, hereafter referred as on-cell NMR, can provide valuable mechanistic information. This review aims to summarize recent on-cell NMR tools that give information about the binding site and the affinity of membrane receptors to their ligands together with potential applications to in vivo drug screening systems.

In Vivo Assembly of Artificial Metalloenzymes and Application in Whole-Cell Biocatalysis*

We report the supramolecular assembly of artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs), based on the Lactococcal multidrug resistance regulator (LmrR) and an exogeneous copper(II)-phenanthroline complex, in the cytoplasm of E. coli cells. A combination of catalysis, cell-fractionation, and inhibitor experiments, supplemented with in-cell solid-state NMR spectroscopy, confirmed the in-cell assembly. The ArM-containing whole cells were active in the catalysis of the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles and the Diels-Alder reaction of azachalcone with cyclopentadiene. Directed evolution resulted in two different improved mutants for both reactions, LmrR_A92E_M8D and LmrR_A92E_V15A, respectively. The whole-cell ArM system required no engineering of the microbial host, the protein scaffold, or the cofactor to achieve ArM assembly and catalysis. We consider this a key step towards integrating abiological catalysis with biosynthesis to generate a hybrid metabolism.

In-Cell Solid-State NMR Analysis of Membrane Proteins

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Signal-enhanced real-time magnetic resonance of enzymatic reactions at millitesla fields

The phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is widely applied in biomedical and biological science to study structures and dynamics of proteins and their reactions. Despite its impact, NMR is an inherently insensitive phenomenon and has driven the field to construct spectrometers with increasingly higher magnetic fields leading to more detection sensitivity. Here, we are demonstrating that enzymatic reactions can be followed in real-time at millitesla fields, three orders of magnitude lower than the field of state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers. This requires signal-enhancing samples via hyperpolarization. Within seconds, we have enhanced the signals of 2-¹³C-pyruvate, an important metabolite to probe cancer metabolism, in 22 mM concentrations (up to 10.1% ± 0.1% polarization) and show that such a large signal allows for the real-time detection of enzymatic conversion of pyruvate to lactate at 24 mT. This development paves the pathways for biological studies in portable and affordable NMR systems with a potential for medical diagnostics.

We demonstrate that metabolism can be monitored in real-time with magnetic resonance at milli-tesla fields that are 1000 fold lower than state-of-the-art high field spectrometers.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Biomembrane Assemblies

While atomic scale structural and dynamic information are hallmarks of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methodologies, sensitivity is a fundamental limitation in NMR studies. Fully exploiting NMR capabilities to study membrane proteins is further hampered by their dilution within biological membranes. Recent developments in dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which can transfer the relatively high polarization of unpaired electrons to nuclear spins, show promise for overcoming the sensitivity bottleneck and enabling NMR characterization of membrane proteins under native-like conditions. Here we discuss fundamental aspects of DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy, experimental details relevant to the study of lipid assemblies and incorporated proteins, and sensitivity gains which can be realized in biomembrane-based samples. We also present unique insights which can be gained from DNP measurements and prospects for further development of the technique for elucidating structures and orientations of membrane proteins in native lipid environments.

Targetable Tetrazine-Based Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Agents for Biological Systems

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has shown great promise as a tool to enhance the nuclear magnetic resonance signals of proteins in the cellular environment. As sensitivity increases, the ability to select and efficiently polarize a specific macromolecule over the cellular background has become desirable. Herein, we address this need and present a tetrazine-based DNP agent that can be targeted selectively to proteins containing the unnatural amino acid (UAA) norbornene-lysine. This UAA can be introduced efficiently into the cellular milieu by genetic means. Our approach is bio-orthogonal and easily adaptable to any protein of interest. We illustrate the scope of our methodology and investigate the DNP transfer mechanisms in several biological systems. Our results shed light on the complex polarization-transfer pathways in targeted DNP and ultimately pave the way to selective DNP-enhanced NMR spectroscopy in both bacterial and mammalian cells.

Common Functions of Disordered Proteins across Evolutionary Distant Organisms

Intrinsically disordered proteins and regions typically lack a well-defined structure and thus fall outside the scope of the classic sequence–structure–function relationship. Hence, classic sequence- or structure-based bioinformatic approaches are often not well suited to identify homology or predict the function of unknown intrinsically disordered proteins. Here, we give selected examples of intrinsic disorder in plant proteins and present how protein function is shared, altered or distinct in evolutionary distant organisms. Furthermore, we explore how examining the specific role of disorder across different phyla can provide a better understanding of the common features that protein disorder contributes to the respective biological mechanism.

Design Parameters of Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds at the Atomic Scale

Stem-cell behavior is regulated by the material properties of the surrounding extracellular matrix, which has important implications for the design of tissue-engineering scaffolds. However, our understanding of the material properties of stem-cell scaffolds is limited to nanoscopic-to-macroscopic length scales. Herein, a solid-state NMR approach is presented that provides atomic-scale information on complex stem-cell substrates at near physiological conditions and at natural isotope abundance. Using self-assembled peptidic scaffolds designed for nervous-tissue regeneration, we show at atomic scale how scaffold-assembly degree, mechanics, and homogeneity correlate with favorable stem cell behavior. Integration of solid-state NMR data with molecular dynamics simulations reveals a highly ordered fibrillar structure as the most favorable stem-cell scaffold. This could improve the design of tissue-engineering scaffolds and other self-assembled biomaterials.