Measurement of spin diffusion and intermolecular distances between chemically equivalent nuclei in rotating solids

A master-equation approach to the description of proton-driven spin diffusion from crystal geometry using simulated zero-quantum lineshapes

Measurements of proton-driven carbon-13 spin diffusion (PDSD) by NMR spectroscopy are a central component of structural analyses of biomolecules in the solid-state. However, the quantitative link between experimental PDSD data and structural information is difficult to make. Here we observe that a master-equation approach can be used to model full PDSD dynamics accurately in polycrystalline (13)C-labelled L-histidine·HCl·H(2)O under magic-angle spinning. In the master-equation approach, PDSD rates and effective dipolar couplings are related by a function of the carbon-carbon zero-quantum lineshapes; we find that numerical simulations of the zero-quantum lineshapes are sufficiently accurate so as to allow the calculation of PDSD rates that are in good agreement with the measured rates, directly from crystal geometry and with no adjustable parameters. Finally, using carbon-carbon internuclear distances we illustrate the potential of the master-equation approach for structural studies. Generalisation of these results to proton-driven carbon-13 spin diffusion in more complex molecular systems is readily envisaged.

Determination of the oligomeric number and intermolecular distances of membrane protein assemblies by anisotropic 1H-driven spin diffusion NMR spectroscopy

Determination of the high-resolution quaternary structure of oligomeric membrane proteins requires knowledge of both the oligomeric number and intermolecular distances. The centerband-only detection of exchange (CODEX) technique has been shown to enable the extraction of the oligomeric number through the equilibrium exchange intensity at long mixing times. To obtain quantitative distances, we now provide an analysis of the mixing-time-dependent CODEX intensities using the 1H-driven spin diffusion theory. The exchange curve is fit to a rate equation, where the rate constants are proportional to the square of the dipolar coupling and the spectral overlap integral between the exchanging spins. Using a number of 13C- and 19F-labeled crystalline model compounds with known intermolecular distances, we empirically determined the overlap integrals of 13C and 19F CODEX for specific spinning speeds and chemical shift anisotropies. These consensus overlap integral values can be applied to structurally unknown systems to determine distances. Applying the 19F CODEX experiment and analysis, we studied the transmembrane peptide of the M2 protein (M2TMP) of influenza A virus bound to 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine bilayers. The experiment proved for the first time that M2TMP associates as tetramers in lipid bilayers, similar to its oligomeric state in detergent micelles. Moreover, the nearest-neighbor interhelical F-F distance between (4-19F)Phe30 is 7.9-9.5 angstroms. This distance constrains the orientation and the packing of the helices in the tetrameric bundle and supports the structural model derived from previous solid-state NMR 15N orientational data. Thus, the CODEX technique presents a general method for determining the oligomeric number and intermolecular distances in the approximately 10 angstroms range in membrane proteins and other complex biological assemblies.

The determination of enantiomeric excess of valine by ODESSA solid-state NMR experiment

The enantiomeric excess (ee) can be determined by many methods; one among them is nuclear magnetic resonance in solid-state (SS NMR). In this study we used the SS NMR ODESSA experiment for determination of the ee of valine.

An experimental and theoretical study of the 13C and 31P chemical shielding tensors in solid O-phosphorylated amino acids

A series of l and dl forms of O-phosphorylated amino acids (serine, threonine, tyrosine) have been studied by using solid-state multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Principal elements of the (13)C and (31)P chemical shielding tensors have been measured and discussed in relation to zwitterionic structures and intermolecular contacts. DFT calculations have been compared with experimental data showing their ability to reproduce experimentally obtained tensor values in this challenging class of compounds. The changes of orientation of (31)P chemical shielding tensor with respect to the molecular frame in the presence of hydrogen bonds have been revealed and discussed on the ground of theoretical calculations. The measurements of internuclear P...P distances, based on Zeeman magnetization exchange between (31)P spins with differing chemical shielding tensor orientations, were exploited for a clear distinction between enantiomers and racemates.

13C cross-polarization MAS NMR study of some steroidal sapogenins

Cross-polarization (CP) magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state 13C NMR spectra of five steroidal sapogenins: tigogenin ((25R)-5alpha-spirostan-3beta-ol), hecogenin (3beta-hydroxy-(25R)-5alpha-spirostan-12-one), diosgenin ((delta5-(25R)-5alpha-spirosten-3beta-ol), sarsasapogenin ((25S)-55beta-spirostan-3beta-ol), and smilagenin ((25R)-5beta-spirostan-3beta-ol) were recorded. The solid-state chemical shifts are almost the same as for solution, which indicate that confirmations of sapogenins are similar in both phases. The doubling of some resonances in the spectra of solid diosgenin shows that there are two molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. The cross-polarization time constants T(CP) and relaxation times in the rotating frame T(1rho)H were obtained from the variable-contact cross-polarization experiments for tigogenin and diosgenin. The values of T(CH) for methyl carbons indicate fast rotation of methyl groups and are close (0.30-0.35 ms), suggesting that the interaction with their intramolecular neighbors is similar. The values of T(1rho)H for carbons of tigogenin are longer than of diosgenin. Very efficient cross-polarization dynamics results in short time required for obtaining a spectrum of sapogenin of remarkably good quality.

Slow-down of 13C spin diffusion in organic solids by fast MAS: a CODEX NMR Study

One- and two-dimensional 13C exchange nuclear magnetic resonance experiments under magic-angle spinning (MAS) can provide detailed information on slow segmental reorientations and chemical exchange in organic solids, including polymers and proteins. However, observations of dynamics on the time scale of seconds or longer are hampered by the competing process of dipolar 13C spin exchange (spin diffusion). In this Communication, we show that fast MAS can significantly slow down the dipolar spin exchange effect for unprotonated carbon sites. The exchange is measured quantitatively using the centerband-only detection of exchange technique, which enables the detection of exchange at any spinning speed, even in the absence of changes of isotropic chemical shifts. For chemically equivalent unprotonated 13C sites, the dipolar spin exchange rate is found to decrease slightly less than proportionally with the sample-rotation frequency, between 8 and 28 kHz. In the same range, the dipolar spin exchange rate for a glassy polymer with an inhomogeneously broadened MAS line decreases by a factor of 10. For methylene groups, no or only a minor slow-down of the exchange rate is found.

X-ray and 13C solid-state NMR studies of N-benzoyl-phenylalanine

A crystalline sample of N-benzoyl-DL-phenylalanine 1 and a polycrystalline sample of N-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine 2 were studied using 13C high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray structure of the DL form was established. Sample 1 crystallizes in a monoclinic form with a P21/c space group, a=11.338(1) A, b=9.185(1) A, c=14.096(2) A, beta=107.53(3) degrees, V=1400(3) A3, Z=4 and R=0.053. The principal elements of the 13C chemical shift tensors deltaii for 1 and 2, selectively 13C (99%) labeled at the carboxyl groups were calculated. On the basis of 13C (delta)ii analysis the hydrogen bonding pattern for sample 2 was deduced. Enriched samples were used to establish the intermolecular distance between chemically equivalent nuclei for 1 and spatial proximity in heterogeneous domain for 2, employing the ODESSA pulse sequence. The consistence of the complementary approach covering X-ray data, analysis of the 13C (delta)ii parameters and ODESSA results is revealed.

Initial conditions for carbon-13 MAS NMR 1D exchange involving chemically equivalent and inequivalent nuclei

A major problem in dynamic 1D (13)C MAS NMR concerns the exchange between magnetically inequivalent, but chemically equivalent sites, whose signals are not resolved in the regular 1D spectrum. This difficulty may be overcome by properly preparing the initial nonequilibrium state of the spin system in the exchange experiments. In the present paper we discuss the advantages and limitations of several such experiments already in use and propose a new sequence, which we term SELDOM-ODESSA. Unlike the other 1D-exchange methods, this experiment yields pure absorption spectra that can more readily be analyzed quantitatively. The experiment is a hybrid comprising a SELDOM sequence, for selective excitation of one of the spinning sideband manifolds in the spectrum, followed by the ODESSA sequence, which induces alternate polarization in the excited sideband manifold. The evolution of the spectrum following this sequence provides information on both the exchange between congruent sites belonging to the same group of equivalent nuclei, and the exchange between inequivalent sites. Results are presented for a tropolone sample specifically enriched in carbon-13 at the carbonyl and hydroxyl sites. The dominant exchange mechanism in this sample involves spin diffusion. The various spin exchange processes in this sample, in the presence and absence of proton decoupling during the mixing time, are measured and discussed. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

To what extent does the centerband and each spinning sideband contain contributions from different crystallites of the powder sample?

It is shown that due to the destructive interference of the magnetization paths of crystallites taking place during the rotor period at slow spinning regime, the contribution of different crystallites to the centerband and to each spinning sideband is strongly weighted. For this, a separated-local-field experiment is used to tag the crystallites contributing to a given spinning sideband at different spinning speeds. The orientation dependence of spinning sidebands is also responsible for different lineshapes of the centerband and of each spinning sidebands observed under conditions of off-magic angle spinning.