Proton-Assisted Recoupling (PAR) in Peptides and Proteins

Comparative Analysis of Polysaccharide and Cell Wall Structure in Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus by Solid-State NMR

Invasive aspergillosis poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients, leading to high mortality rates associated with these infections. Targeting the biosynthesis of cell wall carbohydrates is a promising strategy for antifungal drug development and will be advanced by a molecular-level understanding of the native structures of polysaccharides within their cellular context. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy has recently provided detailed insights into the cell wall organization of Aspergillus fumigatus, but genetic and biochemical evidence highlights species-specific differences among Aspergillus species. In this study, we employed a combination of 13C, 15N, and 1H-detection solid-state NMR, supplemented by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP), to compare the structural organization of cell wall polymers and their assembly in the cell walls of A. fumigatus and A. nidulans, both of which are key model organisms and human pathogens. The two species exhibited a similar rigid core architecture, consisting of chitin, α-glucan, and β-glucan, which contributed to comparable cell wall properties, including polymer dynamics, water retention, and supramolecular organization. However, differences were observed in the chitin, galactosaminogalactan, protein, and lipid content, as well as in the dynamics of galactomannan and the structure of the glucan matrix.

Efficient 18.8 T MAS-DNP NMR reveals hidden side chains in amyloid fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are large and insoluble protein assemblies composed of a rigid core associated with a cross-β arrangement rich in β-sheet structural elements. It has been widely observed in solid-state NMR experiments that semi-rigid protein segments or side chains do not yield easily observable NMR signals at room temperature. The reasons for the missing peaks may be due to the presence of unfavorable dynamics that interfere with NMR experiments, which result in very weak or unobservable NMR signals. Therefore, for amyloid fibrils, semi-rigid and dynamically disordered segments flanking the amyloid core are very challenging to study. Here, we show that high-field dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), an NMR hyperpolarization technique typically performed at low temperatures, can circumvent this issue because (i) the low-temperature environment (~ 100 K) slows down the protein dynamics to escape unfavorable detection regime, (ii) DNP improves the overall NMR sensitivity including those of flexible side chains, and (iii) efficient cross-effect DNP biradicals (SNAPol-1) optimized for high-field DNP (≥ 18.8 T) are employed to offer high sensitivity and resolution suitable for biomolecular NMR applications. By combining these factors, we have successfully established an impressive enhancement factor of ε ~ 50 on amyloid fibrils using an 18.8 T/ 800 MHz magnet. We have compared the DNP efficiencies of M-TinyPol, NATriPol-3, and SNAPol-1 biradicals on amyloid fibrils. We found that SNAPol-1 (with ε ~ 50) outperformed the other two radicals. The MAS DNP experiments revealed signals of flexible side chains previously inaccessible at conventional room-temperature experiments. These results demonstrate the potential of MAS-DNP NMR as a valuable tool for structural investigations of amyloid fibrils, particularly for side chains and dynamically disordered segments otherwise hidden at room temperature.

Ultrafast Magic Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: Advances in Methodology and Applications

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is one of the most commonly used techniques to study the atomic-resolution structure and dynamics of various chemical, biological, material, and pharmaceutical systems spanning multiple forms, including crystalline, liquid crystalline, fibrous, and amorphous states. Despite the unique advantages of solid-state NMR spectroscopy, its poor spectral resolution and sensitivity have severely limited the scope of this technique. Fortunately, the recent developments in probe technology that mechanically rotate the sample fast (100 kHz and above) to obtain "solution-like" NMR spectra of solids with higher resolution and sensitivity have opened numerous avenues for the development of novel NMR techniques and their applications to study a plethora of solids including globular and membrane-associated proteins, self-assembled protein aggregates such as amyloid fibers, RNA, viral assemblies, polymorphic pharmaceuticals, metal-organic framework, bone materials, and inorganic materials. While the ultrafast-MAS continues to be developed, the minute sample quantity and radio frequency requirements, shorter recycle delays enabling fast data acquisition, the feasibility of employing proton detection, enhancement in proton spectral resolution and polarization transfer efficiency, and high sensitivity per unit sample are some of the remarkable benefits of the ultrafast-MAS technology as demonstrated by the reported studies in the literature. Although the very low sample volume and very high RF power could be limitations for some of the systems, the advantages have spurred solid-state NMR investigation into increasingly complex biological and material systems. As ultrafast-MAS NMR techniques are increasingly used in multidisciplinary research areas, further development of instrumentation, probes, and advanced methods are pursued in parallel to overcome the limitations and challenges for widespread applications. This review article is focused on providing timely comprehensive coverage of the major developments on instrumentation, theory, techniques, applications, limitations, and future scope of ultrafast-MAS technology.

1H-Detected Biomolecular NMR under Fast Magic-Angle Spinning

Since the first pioneering studies on small deuterated peptides dating more than 20 years ago, 1H detection has evolved into the most efficient approach for investigation of biomolecular structure, dynamics, and interactions by solid-state NMR. The development of faster and faster magic-angle spinning (MAS) rates (up to 150 kHz today) at ultrahigh magnetic fields has triggered a real revolution in the field. This new spinning regime reduces the 1H-1H dipolar couplings, so that a direct detection of 1H signals, for long impossible without proton dilution, has become possible at high resolution. The switch from the traditional MAS NMR approaches with 13C and 15N detection to 1H boosts the signal by more than an order of magnitude, accelerating the site-specific analysis and opening the way to more complex immobilized biological systems of higher molecular weight and available in limited amounts. This paper reviews the concepts underlying this recent leap forward in sensitivity and resolution, presents a detailed description of the experimental aspects of acquisition of multidimensional correlation spectra with fast MAS, and summarizes the most successful strategies for the assignment of the resonances and for the elucidation of protein structure and conformational dynamics. It finally outlines the many examples where 1H-detected MAS NMR has contributed to the detailed characterization of a variety of crystalline and noncrystalline biomolecular targets involved in biological processes ranging from catalysis through drug binding, viral infectivity, amyloid fibril formation, to transport across lipid membranes.

Solid-State NMR: Methods for Biological Solids

In the last two decades, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy has transformed from a spectroscopic technique investigating small molecules and industrial polymers to a potent tool decrypting structure and underlying dynamics of complex biological systems, such as membrane proteins, fibrils, and assemblies, in near-physiological environments and temperatures. This transformation can be ascribed to improvements in hardware design, sample preparation, pulsed methods, isotope labeling strategies, resolution, and sensitivity. The fundamental engagement between nuclear spins and radio-frequency pulses in the presence of a strong static magnetic field is identical between solution and ssNMR, but the experimental procedures vastly differ because of the absence of molecular tumbling in solids. This review discusses routinely employed state-of-the-art static and MAS pulsed NMR methods relevant for biological samples with rotational correlation times exceeding 100's of nanoseconds. Recent developments in signal filtering approaches, proton methodologies, and multiple acquisition techniques to boost sensitivity and speed up data acquisition at fast MAS are also discussed. Several examples of protein structures (globular, membrane, fibrils, and assemblies) solved with ssNMR spectroscopy have been considered. We also discuss integrated approaches to structurally characterize challenging biological systems and some newly emanating subdisciplines in ssNMR spectroscopy.

Solid-State NMR Dipolar and Chemical Shift Anisotropy Recoupling Techniques for Structural and Dynamical Studies in Biological Systems

With the development of NMR methodology and technology during the past decades, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) has become a particularly important tool for investigating structure and dynamics at atomic scale in biological systems, where the recoupling techniques play pivotal roles in modern high-resolution MAS NMR. In this review, following a brief introduction on the basic theory of recoupling in ssNMR, we highlight the recent advances in dipolar and chemical shift anisotropy recoupling methods, as well as their applications in structural determination and dynamical characterization at multiple time scales (i.e., fast-, intermediate-, and slow-motion). The performances of these prevalent recoupling techniques are compared and discussed in multiple aspects, together with the representative applications in biomolecules. Given the recent emerging advances in NMR technology, new challenges for recoupling methodology development and potential opportunities for biological systems are also discussed.

SAA fibrils involved in AA amyloidosis are similar in bulk and by single particle reconstitution: A MAS solid-state NMR study

AA amyloidosis is one of the most prevalent forms of systemic amyloidosis and affects both humans and other vertebrates. In this study, we compare MAS solid-state NMR data with a recent cryo-EM study of fibrils involving full-length murine SAA1.1. We address the question whether the specific requirements for the reconstitution of an amyloid fibril structure by cryo-EM can potentially yield a bias towards a particular fibril polymorph. We employ fibril seeds extracted from in to vivo material to imprint the fibril structure onto the biochemically produced protein. Sequential assignments yield the secondary structure elements in the fibril state. Long-range DARR and PAR experiments confirm largely the topology observed in the ex-vivo cryo-EM study. We find that the β-sheets identified in the NMR experiments are similar to the β-sheets found in the cryo-EM study, with the exception of amino acids 33–42. These residues cannot be assigned by solid-state NMR, while they adopt a stable β-sheet in the cryo-EM structure. We suggest that the differences between MAS solid-state NMR and cryo-EM data are a consequence of a second conformer involving residues 33–42. Moreover, we were able to characterize the dynamic C-terminal tail of SAA in the fibril state. The C-terminus is flexible, remains detached from the fibrils, and does not affect the SAA fibril structure as confirmed further by molecular dynamics simulations. As the C-terminus can potentially interact with other cellular components, binding to cellular targets can affect its accessibility for protease digestion.

Deuteration for High-Resolution Detection of Protons in Protein Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) Solid-State NMR

Proton detection developed in the last 20 years as the method of choice to study biomolecules in the solid state. In perdeuterated proteins, proton dipolar interactions are strongly attenuated, which allows yielding of high-resolution proton spectra. Perdeuteration and backsubstitution of exchangeable protons is essential if samples are rotated with MAS rotation frequencies below 60 kHz. Protonated samples can be investigated directly without spin dilution using proton detection methods in case the MAS frequency exceeds 110 kHz. This review summarizes labeling strategies and the spectroscopic methods to perform experiments that yield assignments, quantitative information on structure, and dynamics using perdeuterated samples. Techniques for solvent suppression, H/D exchange, and deuterium spectroscopy are discussed. Finally, experimental and theoretical results that allow estimation of the sensitivity of proton detected experiments as a function of the MAS frequency and the external B₀ field in a perdeuterated environment are compiled.

Identification and Quantification of Glycans in Whole Cells: Architecture of Microalgal Polysaccharides Described by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms widely distributed in nature and serve as a sustainable source of bioproducts. Their carbohydrate components are also promising candidates for bioenergy production and bioremediation, but the structural characterization of these heterogeneous polymers in cells remains a formidable problem. Here we present a widely applicable protocol for identifying and quantifying the glycan content using magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy, with validation from glycosyl linkage and composition analysis deduced from mass-spectrometry (MS). Two-dimensional 13C-13C correlation ssNMR spectra of a uniformly 13C-labeled green microalga Parachlorella beijerinckii reveal that starch is the most abundant polysaccharide in a naturally cellulose-deficient strain, and this polymer adopts a well-organized and highly rigid structure in the cell. Some xyloses are present in both the mobile and rigid domains of the cell wall, with their chemical shifts partially aligned with the flat-ribbon 2-fold xylan identified in plants. Surprisingly, most other carbohydrates are largely mobile, regardless of their distribution in glycolipids or cell walls. These structural insights correlate with the high digestibility of this cellulose-deficient strain, and the in-cell ssNMR methods will facilitate the investigations of other economically important algae species.

From Angstroms to Nanometers: Measuring Interatomic Distances by Solid-State NMR

Internuclear distances represent one of the main structural constraints in molecular structure determination using solid-state NMR spectroscopy, complementing chemical shifts and orientational restraints. Although a large number of magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR techniques have been available for distance measurements, traditional ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR experiments are inherently limited to distances of a few angstroms due to the low gyromagnetic ratios of these nuclei. Recent development of fast MAS triple-resonance ¹⁹F and ¹H NMR probes has stimulated the design of MAS NMR experiments that measure distances in the 1-2 nm range with high sensitivity. This review describes the principles and applications of these multiplexed multidimensional correlation distance NMR experiments, with an emphasis on ¹⁹F- and ¹H-based distance experiments. Representative applications of these long-distance NMR methods to biological macromolecules as well as small molecules are reviewed.

Recent progress in dipolar recoupling techniques under fast MAS in solid-state NMR spectroscopy

With the recent advances in NMR hardware and probe design technology, magic-angle spinning (MAS) rates over 100 ​kHz are accessible now, even on commercial solid NMR probes. Under such fast MAS conditions, excellent spectral resolution has been achieved by efficient suppression of anisotropic interactions, which also opens an avenue to the proton-detected NMR experiments in solids. Numerous methods have been developed to take full advantage of fast MAS during the last decades. Among them, dipolar recoupling techniques under fast MAS play vital roles in the determination of the molecular structure and dynamics, and are also key elements in multi-dimensional correlation NMR experiments. Herein, we review the dipolar recoupling techniques, especially those developed in the past two decades for fast-to-ultrafast MAS conditions. A major focus for our discussion is the ratio of RF field strength (in frequency) to MAS frequency, ν₁/ν_r, in different pulse sequences, which determines whether these dipolar recoupling techniques are suitable for NMR experiments under fast MAS conditions. Systematic comparisons are made among both heteronuclear and homonuclear dipolar recoupling schemes. In addition, the schemes developed specially for proton-detection NMR experiments under ultrafast MAS conditions are highlighted as well.

Pulsed Third-Spin-Assisted Recoupling NMR for Obtaining Long-Range 13C-13C and 15N-13C Distance Restraints

We present a class of pulsed third-spin-assisted recoupling (P-TSAR) magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR techniques that achieve efficient polarization transfer over long distances to provide important restraints for structure determination. These experiments utilize second-order cross terms between strong 1H-13C and 1H-15N dipolar couplings to achieve 13C-13C and 15N-13C polarization transfer, similar to the principle of continuous-wave (CW) TSAR experiments. However, in contrast to the CW-TSAR experiments, these P-TSAR experiments require much less radiofrequency (rf) energy and allow a much simpler routine for optimizing the rf field strength. We call the technique PULSAR (pulsed proton-assisted recoupling) for homonuclear spin pairs. For heteronuclear spin pairs, we improve the recently introduced PERSPIRATIONCP (proton-enhanced rotor-echo short pulse irradiation cross-polarization) experiment by shifting the pulse positions and removing the z-filters, which significantly broaden the bandwidth and increase the efficiency of polarization transfer. We demonstrate the PULSAR and PERSPIRATIONCP techniques on the model protein GB1 and found cross peaks for distances as long as 10 and 8 Å for 13C-13C and 15N-13C spin pairs, respectively. We then apply these methods to the amyloid fibrils formed by the peptide hormone glucagon and show that long-range correlation peaks are readily observed to constrain intermolecular packing in this cross-β fibril. We provide an analytical model for the PULSAR and PERSPIRATIONCP experiments to explain the measured and simulated chemical shift dependence and pulse flip angle dependence of polarization transfer. These two techniques are useful for measuring long-range distance restraints to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other biological macromolecules.

Biomolecular complex viewed by dynamic nuclear polarization solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) is an indispensable tool for elucidating the structure and dynamics of insoluble and non-crystalline biomolecules. The recent advances in the sensitivity-enhancing technique magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) have substantially expanded the territory of ssNMR investigations and enabled the detection of polymer interfaces in a cellular environment. This article highlights the emerging MAS-DNP approaches and their applications to the analysis of biomolecular composites and intact cells to determine the folding pathway and ligand binding of proteins, the structural polymorphism of low-populated biopolymers, as well as the physical interactions between carbohydrates, proteins, and lignin. These structural features provide an atomic-level understanding of many cellular processes, promoting the development of better biomaterials and inhibitors. It is anticipated that the capabilities of MAS-DNP in biomolecular and biomaterial research will be further enlarged by the rapid development of instrumentation and methodology.

Molecular architecture of fungal cell walls revealed by solid-state NMR

The high mortality of invasive fungal infections, and the limited number and inefficacy of antifungals necessitate the development of new agents with novel mechanisms and targets. The fungal cell wall is a promising target as it contains polysaccharides absent in humans, however, its molecular structure remains elusive. Here we report the architecture of the cell walls in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy, assisted by dynamic nuclear polarization and glycosyl linkage analysis, reveals that chitin and α-1,3-glucan build a hydrophobic scaffold that is surrounded by a hydrated matrix of diversely linked β-glucans and capped by a dynamic layer of glycoproteins and α-1,3-glucan. The two-domain distribution of α-1,3-glucans signifies the dual functions of this molecule: contributing to cell wall rigidity and fungal virulence. This study provides a high-resolution model of fungal cell walls and serves as the basis for assessing drug response to promote the development of wall-targeted antifungals.