Fast and accurate MAS-DNP simulations of large spin ensembles

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.

The CW-EPR Capabilities of a Dual DNP/EPR Spectrometer Operating at 14 and 7 T

High-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements are indispensable for a better understanding of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which relies on polarization transfer between electron and nuclear spins. DNP experiments are typically performed at high > 7 T magnetic fields and low ≤ 100 K temperatures, while EPR instrumentation capable of EPR measurements under these conditions is scarce. In this paper, we describe the CW EPR capabilities of a dual DNP/EPR spectrometer that is designed to carry out EPR experiments under "DNP conditions" at 14 and 7 T. In the first part, we present the design of this instrument, highlighting the choices made to allow for both DNP and EPR operations. The spectrometer uses a sweepable cryogen-free magnet with NMR-grade homogeneity, a closed-cycle cooling system, a quasi-optical induction mode bridge, and a superheterodyne receiver system. The probe design is optimized for low heat load and fast sample exchange under cryogenic conditions. The spectrometer can operate in frequency and field sweep modes, including wide field sweeps using the main coil of the magnet. In the second part, we present EPR spectra acquired over a wide range of samples and operating conditions, illustrating the CW EPR capabilities of the instrument.

Role of Protons in and around Strongly Coupled Nitroxide Biradicals for Cross-Effect Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

In magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), biradicals such as bis-nitroxides are used to hyperpolarize protons under microwave irradiation through the cross-effect mechanism. This mechanism relies on electron-electron spin interactions (dipolar coupling and exchange interaction) and electron-nuclear spin interactions (hyperfine coupling) to hyperpolarize the protons surrounding the biradical. This hyperpolarization is then transferred to the bulk sample via nuclear spin diffusion. However, the involvement of the protons in the biradical in the cross-effect DNP process has been under debate. In this work, we address this question by exploring the hyperpolarization pathways in and around bis-nitroxides. We demonstrate that for biradicals with strong electron-electron interactions, as in the case of the AsymPols, the protons on the biradical may not be necessary to quickly generate hyperpolarization. Instead, such biradicals can efficiently, and directly, polarize the surrounding protons of the solvent. The findings should impact the design of the next generation of biradicals.

Rational Design of Dinitroxide Polarizing Agents for Dynamic Nuclear Polarization to Enhance Overall NMR Sensitivity

We evaluate the overall sensitivity gains provided by a series of eighteen nitroxide biradicals for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state NMR at 9.4 T and 100 K, including eight new biradicals. We find that in the best performing group the factors contributing to the overall sensitivity gains, namely the DNP enhancement, the build-up time, and the contribution factor, often compete with each other leading to very similar overall sensitivity across a range of biradicals. NaphPol and HydroPol are found to provide the best overall sensitivity factors, in organic and aqueous solvents respectively. One of the new biradicals, AMUPolCbm, provides high sensitivity for all three solvent formulations measured here, and can be considered to be a "universal" polarizing agent.

AsymPol-TEKs as efficient polarizing agents for MAS-DNP in glass matrices of non-aqueous solvents

Two polarizing agents from the AsymPol family, AsymPol-TEK and cAsymPol-TEK (methyl-free version) are introduced for MAS-DNP applications in non-aqueous solvents. The performance of these new biradicals is rationalized in detail using a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, density functional theory, molecular dynamics and quantitative MAS-DNP spin dynamics simulations. By slightly modifying the experimental protocol to keep the sample temperature low at insertion, we are able to obtain reproducable DNP-NMR data with 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCE) at 100 K, which facilitates optimization and comparison of different polarizing agents. At intermediate magnetic fields, AsymPol-TEK and cAsymPol-TEK provide 1.5 to 3-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to TEKPol, one of the most widely used polarizing agents for organic solvents, with significantly shorter DNP build-up times of ∼1 s and ∼2 s at 9.4 and 14.1 T respectively. In the course of the work, we also isolated and characterized two diastereoisomers that can form during the synthesis of AsymPol-TEK; their difference in performance is described and discussed. Finally, the advantages of the AsymPol-TEKs are demonstrated by recording 2D 13C-13C correlation experiments at natural 13C-abundance of proton-dense microcrystals and by polarizing the surface of ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) coated with diphenyl phosphate ligands. For those experiments, cAsymPol-TEK yielded a three-fold increase in sensitivity compared to TEKPol, corresponding to a nine-fold time saving.

Sustainable and cost-effective MAS DNP-NMR at 30 K with cryogenic sample exchange

We report here instrumental developments to achieve sustainable, cost-effective cryogenic Helium sample spinning in order to conduct dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) and solid-state NMR (ssNMR) at ultra-low temperatures (<30 K). More specifically, we describe an efficient closed-loop helium system composed of a powerful heat exchanger (95% efficient), a single cryocooler, and a single helium compressor to power the sample spinning and cooling. The system is integrated with a newly designed triple-channel NMR probe that minimizes thermal losses without compromising the radio frequency (RF) performance and spinning stability (±0.05%). The probe is equipped with an innovative cryogenic sample exchange system that allows swapping samples in minutes without introducing impurities in the closeloop system. We report that significant gain in sensitivity can be obtained at 30-40 K on large micro-crystalline molecules with unfavorable relaxation timescales, making them difficult or impossible to polarize at 100 K. We also report rotor-synchronized 2D experiments to demonstrate the stability of the system.

Electron-to-nuclear spectral mapping via dynamic nuclear polarization

We report on a strategy to indirectly read out the spectrum of an electronic spin via polarization transfer to nuclear spins in its local environment. The nuclear spins are far more abundant and have longer lifetimes, allowing for repeated polarization accumulation in them. Subsequent nuclear interrogation can reveal information about the electronic spectral density of states. We experimentally demonstrate the method by reading out the ESR spectrum of nitrogen vacancy center electrons in diamond via readout of lattice 13C nuclei. Spin-lock control on the 13C nuclei yields a significantly enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for the nuclear readout. Spectrally mapped readout presents operational advantages in being background-free and immune to crystal orientation and optical scattering. We harness these advantages to demonstrate applications in underwater magnetometry. The physical basis for the "one-to-many" spectral map is itself intriguing. To uncover its origin, we develop a theoretical model that maps the system dynamics, involving traversal of a cascaded structure of Landau-Zener anti-crossings, to the operation of a tilted "Galton board." This work points to new opportunities for "ESR-via-NMR" in dilute electronic systems and in hybrid electron-nuclear quantum memories and sensors.

Mechanistic origins of methyl-driven Overhauser DNP

The Overhauser effect in the dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of non-conducting solids has drawn much attention due to the potential for efficient high-field DNP as well as a general interest in the underlying principles that enable the Overhauser effect in small molecules. We recently reported the observation of 1H and 2H Overhauser effects in H3C- or D3C-functionalized Blatter radical analogs, which we presumed to be caused by methyl rotation. In this work, we look at the mechanism for methyl-driven Overhauser DNP in greater detail, considering methyl librations and tunneling in addition to classical rotation. We predict the temperature dependence of these mechanisms using density functional theory and spin dynamics simulations. Comparisons with results from ultralow-temperature magic angle spinning-DNP experiments revealed that cross-relaxation at temperatures above 60 K originates from both libration and rotation, while librations dominate at lower temperatures. Due to the zero-point vibrational nature of these motions, they are not quenched by very low temperatures, and methyl-driven Overhauser DNP is expected to increase in efficiency down to 0 K, predominantly due to increases in nuclear relaxation times.

Fast magic angle spinning for the characterization of milligram quantities of organic and biological solids at natural isotopic abundance by 13C-13C correlation DNP-enhanced NMR

We show that multidimensional solid-state NMR ¹³C-¹³C correlation spectra of biomolecular assemblies and microcrystalline organic molecules can be acquired at natural isotopic abundance with only milligram quantities of sample. These experiments combine fast Magic Angle Spinning of the sample, low-power dipolar recoupling, and dynamic nuclear polarization performed with AsymPol biradicals, a recently introduced family of polarizing agents. Such experiments are essential for structural characterization as they provide short- and long-range distance information. This approach is demonstrated on diverse sample types, including polyglutamine fibrils implicated in Huntington's disease and microcrystalline ampicillin, a small antibiotic molecule.

An analytical treatment of electron spectral saturation for dynamic nuclear polarization NMR of rotating solids

Saturation of electron magnetization by microwave irradiation under magic-angle spinning (MAS) is studied theoretically. The saturation is essential for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhancement of nuclear magnetic resonance signals. For a spin with a large g-anisotropy and a long T₁ relative to the rotor period, the sample rotation distributes saturation to the whole powder sample spectrum. Analytical expressions for the saturation and frequency profiles are obtained. For a pair of coupled electrons such as those in bis-nitroxides, which are commonly used for MAS DNP, an e_l-e_r model (where e_l and e_r stand for electrons on the left and the right, respectively, in their spectral positions) is introduced to simplify the analysis of a coupled two-spin system under MAS. For such a system, strong electron couplings exchange magnetization during dipolar/J rotor events when the two electron frequencies cross each other. The exchange is equivalent to a swap of the e_l and e_r electrons. This allows for the treatment of a coupled spin pair as two independent spins such that an analytical solution can be obtained for the steady-state magnetization and the difference between the two electrons. The theoretical study with its analytical result provides a simple physical picture of electron saturation under MAS and of how radical properties and experimental parameters affect cross-effect DNP. The effects of depolarization and the extension to more coupled electron spins are also discussed using this approach.

Current limitations of solid-state NMR in carbohydrate and cell wall research

High-resolution investigation of cell wall materials has emerged as an important application of biomolecular solid-state NMR (ssNMR). Multidimensional correlation experiments have become a standard method for obtaining sufficient spectral resolution to determine the polymorphic structure of carbohydrates and address biochemical questions regarding the supramolecular organization of cell walls. Using plant cellulose and matrix polysaccharides as examples, we will review how the multifaceted complexity of polysaccharide structure is impeding the resonance assignment process and assess the available biochemical and spectroscopic approaches that could circumvent this barrier. We will emphasize the ineffectiveness of the current methods in reconciling the ever-growing dataset and deriving structural information. We will evaluate the protocols for achieving efficient and homogeneous hyperpolarization across the cell wall material using magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP). Critical questions regarding the line-broadening effects of cell wall molecules at cryogenic temperature and by paramagnetic biradicals will be considered. Finally, the MAS-DNP method will be placed into a broader context with other structural characterization techniques, such as cryo-electron microscopy, to advance ssNMR research in carbohydrate and cell wall biomaterials.

A unified description for polarization-transfer mechanisms in magnetic resonance in static solids: Cross polarization and DNP

Polarization transfers are crucial building blocks in magnetic resonance experiments, i.e., they can be used to polarize insensitive nuclei and correlate nuclear spins in multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The polarization can be transferred either across different nuclear spin species or from electron spins to the relatively low-polarized nuclear spins. The former route occurring in solid-state NMR can be performed via cross polarization (CP), while the latter route is known as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Despite having different operating conditions, we opinionate that both mechanisms are theoretically similar processes in ideal conditions, i.e., the electron is merely another spin-1/2 particle with a much higher gyromagnetic ratio. Here, we show that the CP and DNP processes can be described using a unified theory based on average Hamiltonian theory combined with fictitious operators. The intuitive and unified approach has allowed new insights into the cross-effect DNP mechanism, leading to better design of DNP polarizing agents and extending the applications beyond just hyperpolarization. We explore the possibility of exploiting theoretically predicted DNP transients for electron–nucleus distance measurements—such as routine dipolar-recoupling experiments in solid-state NMR.

Methyl-Driven Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

The Overhauser effect is unique among DNP mechanisms in that it requires the modulation of the electron-nuclear hyperfine interactions. While it dominates DNP in liquids and metals, where unpaired electrons are highly mobile, Overhauser DNP is possible in insulating solids if rapid structural modulations are linked to a modulation in hyperfine coupling. Herein, we report that Overhauser DNP can be triggered by the strategic addition of a methyl group, demonstrated here in a Blatter's radical. The rotation of the methyl group leads to a modulation of the hyperfine coupling to its protons, which in turn facilitates electron-nuclear cross-relaxation. Removal of the methyl protons, through deuteration, quenches the process, as does the reduction of the hyperfine coupling strength. This result suggests the possibility for the design of tailor-made Overhauser DNP polarizing agents for high-field MAS-DNP.

Spinning-Driven Dynamic Nuclear Polarization with Optical Pumping

We propose a new, more efficient, and potentially cost effective, solid-state nuclear spin hyperpolarization method combining the cross-effect mechanism and electron spin optical hyperpolarization in rotating solids. We first demonstrate optical hyperpolarization in the solid state at low temperatures and low field and then investigate its field dependence to obtain the optimal condition for high-field electron spin hyperpolarization. The results are then incorporated into advanced magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) numerical simulations that show that optically pumped MAS-DNP could yield breakthrough enhancements at very high magnetic fields. Based on these investigations, enhancements greater than the ratio of electron to nucleus magnetic moments (>658 for ¹H) are possible without microwave irradiation. This could solve at once the MAS-DNP performance decrease with increasing field and the high cost of MAS-DNP instruments at very high fields.

Biomolecular and Biological Applications of Solid-State NMR with Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhancement

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy (ssNMR) with magic-angle spinning (MAS) enables the investigation of biological systems within their native context, such as lipid membranes, viral capsid assemblies, and cells. However, such ambitious investigations often suffer from low sensitivity due to the presence of significant amounts of other molecular species, which reduces the effective concentration of the biomolecule or interaction of interest. Certain investigations requiring the detection of very low concentration species remain unfeasible even with increasing experimental time for signal averaging. By applying dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) to overcome the sensitivity challenge, the experimental time required can be reduced by orders of magnitude, broadening the feasible scope of applications for biological solid-state NMR. In this review, we outline strategies commonly adopted for biological applications of DNP, indicate ongoing challenges, and present a comprehensive overview of biological investigations where MAS-DNP has led to unique insights.

Hybrid quantum-classical simulations of magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization in very large spin systems

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance can be enhanced using unpaired electron spins with a method known as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Fundamentally, DNP involves ensembles of thousands of spins, a scale that is difficult to match computationally. This scale prevents us from gaining a complete understanding of the spin dynamics and applying simulations to design sample formulations. We recently developed an ab initio model capable of calculating DNP enhancements in systems of up to ∼1000 nuclei; however, this scale is insufficient to accurately simulate the dependence of DNP enhancements on radical concentration or magic angle spinning (MAS) frequency. We build on this work by using ab initio simulations to train a hybrid model that makes use of a rate matrix to treat nuclear spin diffusion. We show that this model can reproduce the MAS rate and concentration dependence of DNP enhancements and build-up time constants. We then apply it to predict the DNP enhancements in core–shell metal-organic-framework nanoparticles and reveal new insights into the composition of the particles’ shells.

Highly Efficient Polarizing Agents for MAS-DNP of Proton-Dense Molecular Solids

Efficiently hyperpolarizing proton-dense molecular solids through dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state NMR is still an unmet challenge. Polarizing agents (PAs) developed so far do not perform well on proton-rich systems, such as organic microcrystals and biomolecular assemblies. Herein we introduce a new PA, cAsymPol-POK, and report outstanding hyperpolarization efficiency on 12.76 kDa U-¹³ C,¹⁵ N-labeled LecA protein and pharmaceutical drugs at high magnetic fields (up to 18.8 T) and fast magic angle spinning (MAS) frequencies (up to 40 kHz). The performance of cAsymPol-POK is rationalized by MAS-DNP simulations combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD). This work shows that this new biradical is compatible with challenging biomolecular applications and unlocks the rapid acquisition of ¹³ C-¹³ C and ¹⁵ N-¹³ C correlations of pharmaceutical drugs at natural isotopic abundance, which are key experiments for structure determination.

Dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced, double-quantum filtered 13C-13C dipolar correlation spectroscopy of natural 13C abundant bone-tissue biomaterial

Here, we describe a method for obtaining a dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced double-quantum filtered (DQF) two-dimensional (2D) dipolar ¹³C-¹³C correlation spectra of bone-tissue material at natural ¹³C abundance. DNP-enhanced DQF 2D dipolar ¹³C-¹³C spectra were obtained using a few different mixing times of the dipolar-assisted rotational resonance (DARR) scheme and these spectra were compared to a conventional 2D through-space double-quantum (DQ)-single-quantum (SQ) correlation spectrum. While this scheme can only be used for an assignment purpose to reveal the carbon-carbon connectivity within a residue, the DQF ¹³C-¹³C dipolar correlation scheme introduced here can be used to obtain longer distance carbon-carbon constraints. A DQF pulse block is placed before the DARR mixing scheme for removing dominant ¹³C single-quantum (SQ) signals because these SQ ¹³C signals are overwhelmingly large compared to those ¹³C-¹³C dipolar cross-peaks generated and therefore saturate the dynamic range of the NMR detection. This approach exhibits strong enough 2D cross-peaks in a dipolar ¹³C-¹³C correlation spectrum and potentially provides pairwise ¹³C-¹³C dipolar constraints because the dipolar truncation effect as well as multi-step signal propagations involving a spin cluster that contains more than two spins can be ignored probabilistically. To obtain fast signal averaging, AsymPolPOK was used to provide a short ¹H DNP signal build-up time (1.3 s) and to expedite our MAS DNP NMR acquisitions while still maintaining a satisfactory DNP enhancement factor (ε = 50). Under long DARR mixing, a t₁-noise-like artifact was observed at a site that possesses a large chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and a few different strategies to address this problem were discussed.

DNPSOUP: A simulation software package for dynamic nuclear polarization

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Simulation Optimized with a Unified Propagator (DNPSOUP) is an open-source numerical software program that models spin dynamics for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). The software package utilizes a direct numerical approach using the inhomogeneous master equation to treat the time evolution of the spin density operator under coherent Hamiltonians and stochastic relaxation effects. Here we present the details of the theory behind the software, starting from the master equation, and arriving at characteristic operators for any section of density operator time-evolution. We then provide an overview of the DNPSOUP software architecture. The efficacy of the program is demonstrated by simulating DNP field profiles on small spin systems exploiting both continuous wave and time-domain DNP mechanisms. Examples include Zeeman field profiles for the solid effect, Overhauser effect, and cross effect, and microwave field profiles for NOVEL, off-resonance NOVEL, the integrated solid effect, the stretched solid effect, and TOP-DNP. The software should facilitate a better understanding of the DNP process, aid in the design of optimized DNP polarizing agents, and allow us to examine new pulsed DNP methods at conditions that are not currently experimentally accessible, especially at high magnetic fields with high-power microwave pulses.

Solid-State NMR Investigations of Extracellular Matrixes and Cell Walls of Algae, Bacteria, Fungi, and Plants

Extracellular matrixes (ECMs), such as the cell walls and biofilms, are important for supporting cell integrity and function and regulating intercellular communication. These biomaterials are also of significant interest to the production of biofuels and the development of antimicrobial treatment. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and magic-angle spinning-dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) are uniquely powerful for understanding the conformational structure, dynamical characteristics, and supramolecular assemblies of carbohydrates and other biomolecules in ECMs. This review highlights the recent high-resolution investigations of intact ECMs and native cells in many organisms spanning across plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae. We spotlight the structural principles identified in ECMs, discuss the current technical limitation and underexplored biochemical topics, and point out the promising opportunities enabled by the recent advances of the rapidly evolving ssNMR technology.

Numerical recipes for faster MAS-DNP simulations

Numerical simulations of Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (MAS-DNP) have transformed the way the DNP process is understood in rotating samples. In 2012, two methods were concomitantly developed to simulate small spin systems (< 4 spin-1/2). The development of new polarizing agents, including those containing metal centers with S > 1/2, makes it necessary to further expand the numerical tools with minimal approximations that will help rationalize the experimental observations and build approximate models. In this paper, three strategies developed in the past five years are presented: an adaptive integration scheme, a hybrid Hilbert/Liouville formalism, and a method to truncate the Liouville space basis for periodic Hamiltonian. Each of these methods enable time savings ranging from a factor of 3 to > 100. We illustrate the code performance by reporting for the first time the MAS-DNP field profiles for "AMUPol", in which the couplings to the nitrogen nuclei are explicitly considered, as well as Cross-Effect MAS-DNP field profiles with two electrons spin 5/2 interacting with a nuclear spin 1/2.

Biomolecular Perturbations in In-Cell Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Experiments

In-cell DNP is a growing application of NMR to the study of biomolecular structure and function within intact cells. An important unresolved question for in-cell DNP spectroscopy is the integrity of cellular samples under the cryogenic conditions of DNP. Despite the rich literature around cryopreservation of cells in the fields of stem cell/embryonic cell therapeutics, cell line preservation and in cryo-EM applications, the effect of cryopreservation procedures on DNP parameters is unclear. In this report we investigate cell survival and apoptosis in the presence of cryopreserving agents and DNP radicals. We also assess the effects of these reagents on cellular enhancements. We show that the DNP radical AMUPol has no effect on membrane permeability and does not induce apoptosis. Furthermore, the standard aqueous glass forming reagent, comprised of 60/30/10 d₈-glycerol/D₂O/H₂O (DNP juice), rapidly dehydrates cells and induces apoptosis prior to freezing, reducing structural integrity of the sample prior to DNP analysis. Preservation with d₆-DMSO at 10% v/v provided similar DNP enhancements per √unit time compared to glycerol preservation with superior maintenance of cell size and membrane integrity prior to freezing. DMSO preservation also greatly enhanced post-thaw survival of cells slow-frozen at 1°C/min. We therefore demonstrate that in-cell DNP-NMR studies should be done with d₆-DMSO as cryoprotectant and raise important considerations for the progression of in-cell DNP-NMR towards the goal of high quality structural studies.

Role of electron spin dynamics and coupling network in designing dynamic nuclear polarization

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has emerged as a powerful sensitivity booster of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for the characterization of biological solids, catalysts and other functional materials, but is yet to reach its full potential. DNP transfers the high polarization of electron spins to nuclear spins using microwave irradiation as a perturbation. A major focus in DNP research is to improve its efficiency at conditions germane to solid-state NMR, at high magnetic fields and fast magic-angle spinning. In this review, we highlight three key strategies towards designing DNP experiments: time-domain "smart" microwave manipulation to optimize and/or modulate electron spin polarization, EPR detection under operational DNP conditions to decipher the underlying electron spin dynamics, and quantum mechanical simulations of coupled electron spins to gain microscopic insights into the DNP mechanism. These strategies are aimed at understanding and modeling the properties of the electron spin dynamics and coupling network. The outcome of these strategies is expected to be key to developing next-generation polarizing agents and DNP methods.

The distance between g-tensors of nitroxide biradicals governs MAS-DNP performance: The case of the bTurea family

Bis-nitroxide radicals are common polarizing agents (PA), used to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments via Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (MAS-DNP). These biradicals can increase the proton spin polarization through the Cross-Effect (CE) mechanism, which requires PAs with at least two unpaired electrons. The relative orientation of the bis-nitroxide moieties is critical to ensure efficient polarization transfer. Recently, we have defined a new quantity, the distance between g-tensors, that correlates the relative orientation of the nitroxides with the ability to polarize the surrounding nuclei. Here we analyse experimentally and theoretically a series of biradicals belonging to the bTurea family, namely bcTol, AMUPol and bcTol-M. They differ by the degree of substitution on the urea bridge that connects the two nitroxides. Using quantitative simulations developed for moderate MAS frequencies, we show that these modifications mostly affect the relative orientations of the nitroxide, i.e. the length and distribution of the distance between the g-tensors, that in turn impacts both the steady state nuclear polarization/depolarization as well as the build-up times. The doubly substituted urea bridge favours a large distance between the g-tensors, which enables bcTol-M to provide ∊_on/off>200 at 14.1 T/600 MHz/395 GHz with build-up times of 3.8 s using a standard homogenous solution. The methodology described herein was used to show how the conformation of the spirocyclic rings flanking the nitroxide function in the recently described c- and o-HydrOPol affects the distance between the g-tensors and thereby polarization performance.

High-field solution state DNP using cross-correlations

At the magnetic fields of common NMR instruments, electron Zeeman frequencies are too high for efficient electron-nuclear dipolar cross-relaxation to occur in solution. The rate of that process fades with the electron Zeeman frequency as ω^-2 - in the absence of isotropic hyperfine couplings, liquid state dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) in high-field magnets is therefore impractical. However, contact coupling and dipolar cross-relaxation are not the only mechanisms that can move electron magnetisation to nuclei in liquids: multiple cross-correlated (CC) relaxation processes also exist, involving various combinations of interaction tensor anisotropies. The rates of some of those processes have more favourable high-field behaviour than dipolar cross-relaxation, but due to the difficulty of their numerical - and particularly analytical - treatment, they remain largely uncharted. In this communication, we report analytical evaluation of every rotationally driven relaxation process in liquid state for 1e1n and 2e1n spin systems, as well as numerical optimisations of the steady-state DNP with respect to spin Hamiltonian parameters. A previously unreported cross-correlated DNP (CCDNP) mechanism was identified for the 2e1n system, involving multiple relaxation interference effects and inter-electron exchange coupling. Using simulations, we found realistic spin Hamiltonian parameters that yield stronger nuclear polarisation at high magnetic fields than dipolar cross-relaxation.

Direct observation of hyperpolarization breaking through the spin diffusion barrier

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a widely used tool for overcoming the low intrinsic sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Its practical applicability is typically bounded, however, by the so-called "spin diffusion barrier," which relates to the poor efficiency of polarization transfer from highly polarized nuclei close to paramagnetic centers to bulk nuclei. A quantitative assessment of this barrier has been hindered so far by the lack of general methods for studying nuclear polarization flow in the vicinity of paramagnetic centers. Here, we fill this gap and introduce a general set of experiments based on microwave gating that are readily implemented. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach in experiments conducted between 1.2 and 4.2 K in static mode and at 100 K under magic angle spinning (MAS)-conditions typical for dissolution DNP and MAS-DNP-and directly observe the marked dependence of polarization flow on temperature.

Application of DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR to studies of amyloid-β peptide interaction with lipid membranes

The cellular membrane disruption induced by the aggregation of Aβ peptide has been proposed as a plausible cause of neuronal cell death during Alzheimer's disease. The molecular-level details of the Aβ interaction with cellular membranes were previously probed using solid state NMR (ssNMR), however, due to the limited sensitivity of the latter, studies were limited to samples with high Aβ-to-lipid ratio. The dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a technique for increasing the sensitivity of NMR. In this work we demonstrate the feasibility of DNP-enhanced ssNMR studies of Aβ₄₀ peptide interacting with various model liposomes: (1) a mixture of zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (POPG); (2) a mixture of POPC, POPG, cholesterol, sphingomyelin and ganglioside GM1; (3) the synaptic plasma membrane vesicles (SPMVs) extracted from rat brain tissues. In addition, DNP-ssNMR was applied to capturing changes in Aβ₄₀ conformation taking place upon the peptide insertion into POPG liposomes. The signal enhancements under conditions of DNP allow carrying out informative 2D ssNMR experiments with about 0.25 mg of Aβ₄₀ peptides (i.e. reaching Aβ₄₀-to-lipid ratio of 1:200). In the studied liposome models, the ¹³C NMR chemical shifts at many ¹³C-labelled sites of Aβ₄₀ are characteristic of β-sheets. In addition, in POPG liposomes the peptide forms hydrophobic contacts F19-L34 and F19-I32. Both the chemical shifts and hydrophobic contacts of Aβ₄₀ in POPG remain the same before and after 8 h of incubation. This suggests that conformation at the ¹³C-labelled sites of the peptide is similar before and after the insertion process. Overall, our results demonstrate that DNP helps to overcome the sensitivity limitation of ssNMR, and thereby expand the applicability of ssNMR for charactering the Aβ peptide interacting with lipids.

Efficiency analysis of helium-cooled MAS DNP: case studies of surface-modified nanoparticles and homogeneous small-molecule solutions

Despite the growing number of successful applications of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR in structural biology and materials science, the nuclear polarizations achieved by current MAS DNP instrumentation are still considerably lower than the theoretical maximum. The method could be significantly strengthened if experiments were performed at temperatures much lower than those currently widely used (∼100 K). Recently, the prospects of helium (He)-cooled MAS DNP have been increased with the instrumental developments in MAS technology that uses cold helium gas for sample cooling. Despite the additional gains in sensitivity that have been observed with He-cooled MAS DNP, the performance of the technique has not been evaluated in the case of surfaces and interfaces that benefit the most from DNP. Herein, we studied the efficiency of DNP at temperatures between ∼30 K and ∼100 K for organically functionalized silica material and a homogeneous solution of small organic molecules at a magnetic field B0 = 16.4 T. We recorded the changes in signal enhancement, paramagnet-induced quenching and depolarization effects, DNP build-up rate, and Boltzmann polarization. For these samples, the increases in MAS-induced depolarization and DNP build-up times at around 30 K were not as severe as anticipated. In the case of the surface species, we determined that MAS DNP at 30 K provided ∼10 times higher sensitivity than MAS DNP at 90 K, which corresponds to the acceleration of experiments by multiplicative factors of up to 100.

Scaling analyses for hyperpolarization transfer across a spin-diffusion barrier and into bulk solid media

By analogy to heat and mass transfer film theory, a general approach is introduced for determining hyperpolarization transfer rates between dilute electron spins and a surrounding nuclear ensemble. These analyses provide new quantitative relationships for understanding, predicting, and optimizing the effectiveness of hyperpolarization protocols, such as Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) under magic-angle spinning conditions. An empirical DNP polarization-transfer coefficient is measured as a function of the bulk matrix 1H spin density and indicates the presence of two distinct kinetic regimes associated with different rate-limiting polarization transfer phenomena. Dimensional property relationships are derived and used to evaluate the competitive rates of spin polarization generation, propagation, and dissipation that govern hyperpolarization transfer between large coupled spin ensembles. The quantitative analyses agree closely with experimental measurements for the accumulation, propagation, and dissipation of hyperpolarization in solids and provide evidence for kinetically-limited transfer associated with a spin-diffusion barrier. The results and classical approach yield general design criteria for analyzing and optimizing polarization transfer processes involving complex interfaces and composite media for applications in materials science, physical chemistry and nuclear spintronics.

1H Thermal Mixing Dynamic Nuclear Polarization with BDPA as Polarizing Agents

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is a sensitivity enhancing technique for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. A recent discovery of Overhauser Effect (OE) DNP in insulating systems under cryogenic conditions using 1,3-bisdiphenylene-2-phenylallyl (BDPA) as the polarizing agent (PA) has caught attention due to its promising DNP performance at a high magnetic field and under fast magic angle spinning conditions. However, the mechanism of OE in insulating-solids/BDPA is unclear. We present an alternative explanation that the dominant underlying DNP mechanism of BDPA is Thermal Mixing (TM). This is ascertained with the discovery that TM effect is enhanced by multi-electron spin coupling, which is corroborated by an asymmetric electron paramagnetic resonance line shape signifying the coexistence of clustered and isolated BDPA species, and by hyperpolarized electron spin populations giving rise to an electron spin polarization gradient which are characteristic signatures of TM DNP. Finally, quantum mechanical simulations using spatially asymmetrically coupled three electron spins and a nuclear spin demonstrate that triple-flip DNP, with hyperfine fluctuations turned off, can yield the ¹H DNP profile as observed with BDPA. Clarifying the DNP mechanism is critical to develop design principles for optimizing the PA for achieving optimal DNP efficiency.

Dipolar nuclear polarization via the spin diffusion of a dipole order

We propose transfer of the paramagnetic impurity (PI) polarization to nuclei in bulk, outside the diffusion barrier, by using dipolar system of the nuclear spins. The transfer can overcome influence of the diffusion barrier and is proposed to be implemented in four stages. At the first stage, transition of the Zeeman PI order to the Zeeman order of nuclear spins inside the spin-diffusion barrier is occurred. During the second stage the Zeeman order of both the nuclear spins inside the barrier and the nuclear spins in bulk is transferred into the nuclear dipolar spin order. As a result, the nuclear dipolar spin reservoir inside the barrier acquires a lower spin temperature, and thus a gradient of the spin temperature of the nuclear dipolar spin system is created. Since the external magnetic field and the magnetic field created by PIs do not effect on the dipole-dipole interaction between the nuclear spins, the dipolar reservoir is common for all nuclear spins, both inside and outside the diffusion barrier. Restriction of the diffusion barrier is removed and the spin diffusion of the dipole energy and transfer of the spin dipolar order to bulk spins occurs without obstacles (the third stage). At the last stage, to register an NMR signal, the dipolar order of the bulk spins is transferred into the Zeeman order of these spins. Estimations show that enhancement of the polarization can reaches in the case of a ¹H nuclear spin, ~220, for ¹³C ~850, and for ¹⁵N ~2130.

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.

Full-Scale Ab Initio Simulation of Magic-Angle-Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Theoretical models aimed at describing magic-angle-spinning (MAS) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR have great potential in facilitating the in silico design of DNP polarizing agents and formulations. These models must typically face a trade-off between the accuracy of a strict quantum mechanical description and the need for using realistically large spin systems, for instance, using phenomenological models. Here, we show that the use of aggressive state-space restrictions and an optimization strategy allows full-scale ab initio MAS-DNP simulations of spin systems containing thousands of nuclei. Our simulations are shown to reproduce experimental DNP enhancements quantitatively, including their MAS rate dependence, for both frozen solutions and solid materials. They also reveal the importance of a previously unrecognized structural feature found in some polarizing agents that helps minimize the sensitivity losses imposed by the spin diffusion barrier.

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.

On the Limited Stability of BDPA Radicals

1,3-Bis(diphenylene)-2-phenylallyl (BDPA)-based radicals are of interest as polarizing agents for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). For this purpose, a BDPA-nitroxide biradical, employing a phosphodiester linkage, was synthesized. Contrary to what is commonly assumed, BDPA-derived radicals were observed to have limited stability. Hence, the effects of various factors on the stability of BDPA radicals were investigated. Solvent polarity was found to play a significant role on degradation; a polar BDPA radical was observed to degrade faster in a non-polar solvent, whereas non-polar radicals were more unstable in polar solvents. The rate of decomposition was found to increase non-linearly with increasing radical concentration; a 2-fold increase in concentration led to a 3-fold increase in the rate of degradation. Collectively, these results indicate that the dimerization is a significant degradation pathway for BDPA radicals and indeed, a dimer of one BDPA radical was detected by mass spectrometry.

High-Field Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is one of the most prominent methods of sensitivity enhancement in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Even though solid-state DNP under magic-angle spinning (MAS) has left the proof-of-concept phase and has become an important tool for structural investigations of biomolecules as well as materials, it is still far from mainstream applicability because of the potentially overwhelming combination of unique instrumentation, complex sample preparation, and a multitude of different mechanisms and methods available. In this review, I introduce the diverse field and history of DNP, combining aspects of NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance. I then explain the general concepts and detailed mechanisms relevant at high magnetic field, including solution-state methods based on Overhauser DNP but with a greater focus on the more established MAS DNP methods. Finally, I review practical considerations and fields of application and discuss future developments.

TinyPols: a family of water-soluble binitroxides tailored for dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced NMR spectroscopy at 18.8 and 21.1 T

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) has recently emerged as a key method to increase the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy under Magic Angle Spinning (MAS). While efficient binitroxide polarizing agents such as AMUPol have been developed for MAS DNP NMR at magnetic fields up to 9.4 T, their performance drops rapidly at higher fields due to the unfavorable field dependence of the cross-effect (CE) mechanism and AMUPol-like radicals were so far disregarded in the context of the development of polarizing agents for very high-field DNP. Here, we introduce a new family of water-soluble binitroxides, dubbed TinyPols, which have a three-bond non-conjugated flexible amine linker allowing sizable couplings between the two unpaired electrons. We show that this adjustment of the linker is crucial and leads to unexpectedly high DNP enhancement factors at 18.8 T and 21.1 T: an improvement of about a factor 2 compared to AMUPol is reported for spinning frequencies ranging from 5 to 40 kHz, with ε H of up to 90 at 18.8 T and 38 at 21.1 T for the best radical in this series, which are the highest MAS DNP enhancements measured so far in aqueous solutions at these magnetic fields. This work not only breathes a new momentum into the design of binitroxides tailored towards high magnetic fields, but also is expected to push the application frontiers of high-resolution DNP MAS NMR, as demonstrated here on a hybrid mesostructured silica material.

Optimizing nitroxide biradicals for cross-effect MAS-DNP: the role of g-tensors' distance

Nitroxide biradicals are common polarizing agents used to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments via Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (MAS-DNP). These biradicals are used to increase the polarization of protons through the cross-effect mechanism, which requires two unpaired electrons with a Larmor frequency difference greater than that of the protons. From their early conception, the relative orientation of the nitroxide rings has been identified as a critical factor determining their MAS-DNP performance. However, the MAS leads to a complex DNP mechanism with time dependent energy level anti-crossings making it difficult to pinpoint the role of relative g-tensor orientation. In this article, a single parameter called "g-tensors' distance" is introduced to characterize the relative orientation's impact on the MAS-DNP field profiles. It is demonstrated for the first time how the g-tensors' distance determines the nuclear hyperpolarization and depolarization properties of a given biradical. This provides a new critical parameter that paves the way for more efficient bis-nitroxides for MAS-DNP.

Balancing dipolar and exchange coupling in biradicals to maximize cross effect dynamic nuclear polarization

Balancing dipolar and exchange coupling is essential for efficient Cross Effect DNP. This explains the complex performance of standard radicals (AMUPOL and HyTek) at high magnetic field and fast spinning.

Water-soluble BDPA radicals with improved persistence

1,3-Bis(diphenylene)-2-phenylallyl (BDPA) radicals are promising polarizing agents for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR spectroscopy. BDPAs containing tetraalkyl/aryl-ammonium groups have increased persistence and solubility in polar solvents.

Recent developments in MAS DNP-NMR of materials

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the characterization of the atomic-level structure and dynamics of materials. Nevertheless, the use of this technique is often limited by its lack of sensitivity, which can prevent the observation of surfaces, defects or insensitive isotopes. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) has been shown to improve by one to three orders of magnitude the sensitivity of NMR experiments on materials under Magic-Angle Spinning (MAS), at static magnetic field B₀ ≥ 5 T, conditions allowing for the acquisition of high-resolution spectra. The field of DNP-NMR spectroscopy of materials has undergone a rapid development in the last ten years, spurred notably by the availability of commercial DNP-NMR systems. We provide here an in-depth overview of MAS DNP-NMR studies of materials at high B₀ field. After a historical perspective of DNP of materials, we describe the DNP transfers under MAS, the transport of polarization by spin diffusion and the various contributions to the overall sensitivity of DNP-NMR experiments. We discuss the design of tailored polarizing agents and the sample preparation in the case of materials. We present the DNP-NMR hardware and the influence of key experimental parameters, such as microwave power, magnetic field, temperature and MAS frequency. We give an overview of the isotopes that have been detected by this technique, and the NMR methods that have been combined with DNP. Finally, we show how MAS DNP-NMR has been applied to gain new insights into the structure of organic, hybrid and inorganic materials with applications in fields, such as health, energy, catalysis, optoelectronics etc.

Direct dynamic nuclear polarization of 15N and 13C spins at 14.1 T using a trityl radical and magic angle spinning

We investigate solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization of 13C and 15N nuclei using monoradical trityl OX063 as a polarizing agent in a magnetic field of 14.1 T with magic angle spinning at ∼100 K. We monitored the field dependence of direct 13C and 15N polarization for frozen [13C, 15N] urea and achieved maximum absolute enhancement factors of 240 and 470, respectively. The field profiles are consistent with polarization of 15N spins via either the solid effect or the cross effect, and polarization of 13C spins via a combination of cross effect and solid effect. For microcrystalline, 15N-enriched tryptophan synthase sample containing trityl radical, a 1500-fold increase in 15N signal was observed under microwave irradiation. These results show the promise of trityl radicals and their derivatives for direct polarization of low gamma, spin-½ nuclei at high magnetic fields and suggest a novel approach for selectively polarizing specific moieties or for polarizing systems which have low levels of protonation.

Linear-scaling ab initio simulations of spin diffusion in rotating solids

We investigated the utility of locally restricting the basis sets involved in low-order correlations in Liouville space (LCL) calculations of spin diffusion. Using well-known classical models of spin diffusion, we describe a rationale for selecting the optimal basis set for such calculations. We then show that the use of these locally restricted basis sets provides the same computational accuracy as the full LCL set while reducing the computational time by several orders of magnitude. Speeding up the calculations also enables us to use higher maximum spin orders and increase the computational accuracy. Furthermore, unlike exact and full LCL calculations, locally restricted LCL calculations scale linearly with the system size and should thus enable the ab initio study of spin diffusion in spin systems containing several thousand spins.

Reducing the computational cost of NMR crystallography of organic powders at natural isotopic abundance with the help of 13 C-13 C dipolar couplings

Structure determination of functional organic compounds remains a formidable challenge when the sample exists as a powder. Nuclear magnetic resonance crystallography approaches based on the comparison of experimental and Density Functional Theory (DFT)-computed ¹ H chemical shifts have already demonstrated great potential for structure determination of organic powders, but limitations still persist. In this study, we discuss the possibility of using ¹³ C-¹³ C dipolar couplings quantified on powdered theophylline at natural isotopic abundance with the help of dynamic nuclear polarization, to realize a DFT-free, rapid screening of a pool of structures predicted by ab initio random structure search. We show that although ¹³ C-¹³ C dipolar couplings can identify structures possessing long range structural motifs and unit cell parameters close to those of the true structure, it must be complemented with other data to recover information about the presence and the chemical nature of the supramolecular interactions.

Improved waveguide coupling for 1.3 mm MAS DNP probes at 263 GHz

We consider the geometry of a radially irradiated microwave beam in MAS DNP NMR probes and its impact on DNP enhancement. Two related characteristic features are found to be relevant: (i) the focus of the microwave beam on the DNP MAS sample and (ii) the microwave magnetic field magnitude in the sample. We present a waveguide coupler setup that enables us to significantly improve beam focus and field magnitude in 1.3 mm MAS DNP probes at a microwave frequency of 263 GHz, which results in an increase of the DNP enhancement by a factor of 2 compared to previous standard hardware setups. We discuss the implications of improved coupling and its potential to enable cutting-edge applications, such as pulsed high-field DNP and the use of low-power solid-state microwave sources.

Selective high-resolution DNP-enhanced NMR of biomolecular binding sites

Locating binding sites in biomolecular assemblies and solving their structures are of the utmost importance to unravel functional aspects of the system and provide experimental data that can be used for structure-based drug design. This often still remains a challenge, both in terms of selectivity and sensitivity for X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and NMR. In this work, we introduce a novel method called Selective Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (Sel-DNP) that allows selective highlighting and identification of residues present in the binding site. This powerful site-directed approach relies on the use of localized paramagnetic relaxation enhancement induced by a ligand-functionalized paramagnetic construct combined with difference spectroscopy to recover high-resolution and high-sensitivity information from binding sites. The identification of residues involved in the binding is performed using spectral fingerprints obtained from a set of high-resolution multidimensional spectra with varying selectivities. The methodology is demonstrated on the galactophilic lectin LecA, for which we report well-resolved DNP-enhanced spectra with linewidths between 0.5 and 1 ppm, which enable the de novo assignment of the binding interface residues, without using previous knowledge of the binding site location. Since this approach produces clean and resolved difference spectra containing a limited number of residues, resonance assignment can be performed without any limitation with respect to the size of the biomolecular system and only requires the production of one protein sample (e.g. 13C,15N-labeled protein).

De novo prediction of cross-effect efficiency for magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization

Magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) has become a key approach to boost the intrinsic low sensitivity of NMR in solids. This method relies on the use of both stable radicals as polarizing agents (PAs) and suitable high frequency microwave irradiation to hyperpolarize nuclei of interest. Relating PA chemical structure to DNP efficiency has been, and is still, a long-standing problem. The complexity of the polarization transfer mechanism has so far limited the impact of analytical derivation. However, recent numerical approaches have profoundly improved the basic understanding of the phenomenon and have now evolved to a point where they can be used to help design new PAs. In this work, the potential of advanced MAS-DNP simulations combined with DFT calculations and high-field EPR to qualitatively and quantitatively predict hyperpolarization efficiency of particular PAs is analyzed. This approach is demonstrated on AMUPol and TEKPol, two widely-used bis-nitroxide PAs. The results notably highlight how the PA structure and EPR characteristics affect the detailed shape of the DNP field profile. We also show that refined simulations of this profile using the orientation dependency of the electron spin-lattice relaxation times can be used to estimate the microwave B1 field experienced by the sample. Finally, we show how modelling the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times of close and bulk nuclei while accounting for PA concentration allows for a prediction of DNP enhancement factors and hyperpolarization build-up times.

Structural Fingerprinting of Protein Aggregates by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced Solid-State NMR at Natural Isotopic Abundance

A pathological hallmark of Huntington’s disease (HD) is the formation of neuronal protein deposits containing mutant huntingtin fragments with expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) domains. Prior studies have shown the strengths of solid-state NMR (ssNMR) to probe the atomic structure of such aggregates, but have required in vitro isotopic labeling. Herein, we present an approach for the structural fingerprinting of fibrils through ssNMR at natural isotopic abundance (NA). These methods will enable the spectroscopic fingerprinting of unlabeled (e.g., ex vivo) protein aggregates and the extraction of valuable new long-range ¹³C–¹³C distance constraints.