1
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Hasanbasri Z, Tessmer MH, Stoll S, Saxena S. Modeling of Cu(II)-based protein spin labels using rotamer libraries. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:6806-6816. [PMID: 38324256 PMCID: PMC10883468 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp05951k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
The bifunctional spin label double-histidine copper-(II) capped with nitrilotriacetate [dHis-Cu(II)-NTA], used in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods can provide high-resolution distance data for investigating protein structure and backbone conformational diversity. Quantitative utilization of this data is limited due to a lack of rapid and accurate dHis-Cu(II)-NTA modeling methods that can be used to translate experimental data into modeling restraints. Here, we develop two dHis-Cu(II)-NTA rotamer libraries using a set of recently published molecular dynamics simulations and a semi-empirical meta-dynamics-based conformational ensemble sampling tool for use with the recently developed chiLife bifunctional spin label modeling method. The accuracy of both the libraries and the modeling method are tested by comparing model predictions to experimentally determined distance distributions. We show that this method is accurate with absolute deviation between the predicted and experimental modes between 0.0-1.2 Å with an average of 0.6 Å over the test data used. In doing so, we also validate the generality of the chiLife bifunctional label modeling method. Taken together, the increased structural resolution and modeling accuracy of dHis-Cu(II)-NTA over other spin labels promise improvements in the accuracy and resolution of protein models by EPR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
| | - Maxx H Tessmer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Stefan Stoll
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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2
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Bogetti X, Saxena S. Integrating Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Computational Modeling to Measure Protein Structure and Dynamics. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300506. [PMID: 37801003 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has become a powerful probe of conformational heterogeneity and dynamics of biomolecules. In this Review, we discuss different computational modeling techniques that enrich the interpretation of EPR measurements of dynamics or distance restraints. A variety of spin labels are surveyed to provide a background for the discussion of modeling tools. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of models containing spin labels provide dynamical properties of biomolecules and their labels. These simulations can be used to predict EPR spectra, sample stable conformations and sample rotameric preferences of label sidechains. For molecular motions longer than milliseconds, enhanced sampling strategies and de novo prediction software incorporating or validated by EPR measurements are able to efficiently refine or predict protein conformations, respectively. To sample large-amplitude conformational transition, a coarse-grained or an atomistic weighted ensemble (WE) strategy can be guided with EPR insights. Looking forward, we anticipate an integrative strategy for efficient sampling of alternate conformations by de novo predictions, followed by validations by systematic EPR measurements and MD simulations. Continuous pathways between alternate states can be further sampled by WE-MD including all intermediate states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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3
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Heubach CA, Hasanbasri Z, Abdullin D, Reuter A, Korzekwa B, Saxena S, Schiemann O. Differentiating between Label and Protein Conformers in Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy with the dHis-Cu 2+ (NTA) Motif. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202302541. [PMID: 37755452 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy (PDS) in combination with site-directed spin labeling is a powerful tool in structural biology. However, the commonly used spin labels are conjugated to biomolecules via rather long and flexible linkers, which hampers the translation of distance distributions into biomolecular conformations. In contrast, the spin label copper(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid [Cu2+ (NTA)] bound to two histidines (dHis) is rigid and yields narrow distance distributions, which can be more easily translated into biomolecular conformations. Here, we use this label on the 71 kDa Yersinia outer protein O (YopO) to decipher whether a previously experimentally observed bimodal distance distribution is due to two conformations of the biomolecule or of the flexible spin labels. Two different PDS experiments, that is, pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR aka DEER) and relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME), yield unimodal distance distribution with the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif; this result suggests that the α-helical backbone of YopO adopts a single conformation in frozen solution. In addition, we show that the Cu2+ (NTA) label preferentially binds to the target double histidine (dHis) sites even in the presence of 22 competing native histidine residues. Our results therefore suggest that the generation of a His-null background is not required for this spin labeling methodology. Together these results highlight the value of the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif in PDS experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caspar A Heubach
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Dinar Abdullin
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Arne Reuter
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Benedict Korzekwa
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
- Leibniz-Center for Diabetes Research, University of Düsseldorf, Auf'm Hennekamp 65, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
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4
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Mandato A, Hasanbasri Z, Saxena S. Double Quantum Coherence ESR at Q-Band Enhances the Sensitivity of Distance Measurements at Submicromolar Concentrations. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:8909-8915. [PMID: 37768093 PMCID: PMC10577775 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Recently, there have been remarkable improvements in pulsed ESR sensitivity, paving the way for broader applicability of ESR in the measurement of biological distance constraints, for instance, at physiological concentrations and in more complex systems. Nevertheless, submicromolar distance measurements with the commonly used nitroxide spin label take multiple days. Therefore, there remains a need for rapid and reliable methods of measuring distances between spins at nanomolar concentrations. In this work, we demonstrate the power of double quantum coherence (DQC) experiments at Q-band frequencies. With the help of short and intense pulses, we showcase DQC signals on nitroxide-labeled proteins with modulation depths close to 100%. We show that the deep dipolar modulations aid in the resolution of bimodal distance distributions. Finally, we establish that distance measurements with protein concentrations as low as 25 nM are feasible. This limit is approximately 4-fold lower than previously possible. We anticipate that nanomolar concentration measurements will lead to further advancements in the use of ESR, especially in cellular contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alysia Mandato
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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5
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Bogetti X, Bogetti A, Casto J, Rule G, Chong L, Saxena S. Direct observation of negative cooperativity in a detoxification enzyme at the atomic level by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy and simulation. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4770. [PMID: 37632831 PMCID: PMC10503414 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
The catalytic activity of human glutathione S-transferase A1-1 (hGSTA1-1), a homodimeric detoxification enzyme, is dependent on the conformational dynamics of a key C-terminal helix α9 in each monomer. However, the structural details of how the two monomers interact upon binding of substrates is not well understood and the structure of the ligand-free state of the hGSTA1-1 homodimer has not been resolved. Here, we used a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) distance measurements and weighted ensemble (WE) simulations to characterize the conformational ensemble of the ligand-free state at the atomic level. EPR measurements reveal a broad distance distribution between a pair of Cu(II) labels in the ligand-free state that gradually shifts and narrows as a function of increasing ligand concentration. These shifts suggest changes in the relative positioning of the two α9 helices upon ligand binding. WE simulations generated unbiased pathways for the seconds-timescale transition between alternate states of the enzyme, leading to the generation of atomically detailed structures of the ligand-free state. Notably, the simulations provide direct observations of negative cooperativity between the monomers of hGSTA1-1, which involve the mutually exclusive docking of α9 in each monomer as a lid over the active site. We identify key interactions between residues that lead to this negative cooperativity. Negative cooperativity may be essential for interaction of hGSTA1-1 with a wide variety of toxic substrates and their subsequent neutralization. More broadly, this work demonstrates the power of integrating EPR distances with WE rare-events sampling strategy to gain mechanistic information on protein function at the atomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Anthony Bogetti
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Joshua Casto
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Gordon Rule
- Department of Biological SciencesCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Lillian Chong
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
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6
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Casto J, Bogetti X, Hunter HR, Hasanbasri Z, Saxena S. "Store-bought is fine": Sensitivity considerations using shaped pulses for DEER measurements on Cu(II) labels. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2023; 349:107413. [PMID: 36867974 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2023.107413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The narrow excitation bandwidth of monochromic pulses is a sensitivity limitation for pulsed dipolar spectroscopy on Cu(II)-based measurements. In response, frequency-swept pulses with large excitation bandwidths have been adopted to probe a greater range of the EPR spectrum. However, much of the work utilizing frequency-swept pulses in Cu(II) distance measurements has been carried out on home-built spectrometers and equipment. Herein, we carry out systematic Cu(II) based distance measurements to demonstrate the capability of chirp pulses on commercial instrumentation. More importantly we delineate sensitivity considerations under acquisition schemes that are necessary for robust distance measurements using Cu(II) labels for proteins. We show that a 200 MHz sweeping bandwidth chirp pulse can improve the sensitivity of long-range distance measurements by factors of three to four. The sensitivity of short-range distances only increases slightly due to special considerations for the chirp pulse duration relative to the period length of the modulated dipolar signal. Enhancements in sensitivity also dramatically reduce measurement collection times enabling rapid collection of orientationally averaged Cu(II) distance measurements in under two hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Casto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Hannah R Hunter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States.
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7
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Hasanbasri Z, Moriglioni NA, Saxena S. Efficient sampling of molecular orientations for Cu(II)-based DEER on protein labels. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:13275-13288. [PMID: 36939213 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp00404j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Combining rigid Cu(II) labels and pulsed-EPR techniques enables distance constraint measurements that are incisive probes of protein structure and dynamics. However, the labels can lead to a dipolar signal that is biased by the relative orientation of the two spins, which is typically unknown a priori in a bilabeled protein. This effect, dubbed orientational selectivity, becomes a bottleneck in measuring distances. This phenomenon also applies to other pulsed-EPR techniques that probe electron-nucleus interactions. In this work, we dissect orientational selectivity by generating an in silico sample of Cu(II)-labeled proteins to evaluate pulse excitation in the context of double electron-electron resonance (DEER) at Q-band frequencies. This approach enables the observation of the contribution of each protein orientation to the dipolar signal, which provides direct insights into optimizing acquisition schemes to mitigate orientational effects. Furthermore, we incorporate the excitation profile of realistic pulses to identify the excited spins. With this method, we show that rectangular pulses, despite their imperfect inversion capability, can sample similar spin orientations as other sophisticated pulses with the same bandwidth. Additionally, we reveal that the efficiency of exciting spin-pairs in DEER depends on the frequency offset of two pulses used in the experiment and the relative orientation of the two spins. Therefore, we systematically examine the frequency offset of the two pulses used in this double resonance experiment to determine the optimal frequency offset for optimal distance measurements. This procedure leads to a protocol where two measurements are sufficient to acquire orientational-independent DEER at Q-band. Notably, this procedure is feasible with any commercial pulsed-EPR spectrometer. Furthermore, we experimentally validate the computational results using DEER experiments on two different proteins. Finally, we show that increasing the amplitude of the rectangular pulse can increase the efficiency of DEER experiments by almost threefold. Overall, this work provides an attractive new approach for analyzing pulsed-EPR spectroscopy to obtain microscopic nuances that cannot be easily discerned from analytical or numerical calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | | | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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8
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Hennaux L, Kohchtali A, Bâlon H, Matroule JY, Michaux C, Perpète EA. Refolding and biophysical characterization of the Caulobacter crescentus copper resistance protein, PcoB: An outer membrane protein containing an intrinsically disordered domain. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:184038. [PMID: 36057369 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.184038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Copper cations play fundamental roles in biological systems, such as protein folding and stabilization, or enzymatic reactions. Although copper is essential to the cell, it can become cytotoxic if present in too high concentration. Organisms have therefore developed specific regulation mechanisms towards copper. This is the case of the Pco system present in the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, which is composed of two proteins: a soluble periplasmic protein PcoA and an outer membrane protein PcoB. PcoA oxidizes Cu+ to Cu2+, whereas PcoB is thought to be an efflux pump for Cu2+. While the PcoA protein has already been studied, very little is known about the structure and function of PcoB. In the present work, PcoB has been overexpressed in high yield in E. coli strains and successfully refolded by the SDS-cosolvent method. Binding to divalent cations has also been studied using several spectroscopic techniques. In addition, a three-dimensional structure model of PcoB, experimentally supported by circular dichroism, has been constructed, showing a β-barrel conformation with a N-terminal disordered chain. This peculiar intrinsic disorder property has also been confirmed by various bioinformatic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurelenn Hennaux
- Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Biomolécules, UCPTS, University of Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur, Belgium; Namur Institute of Structured Matter (NISM), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium; Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium.
| | - Amira Kohchtali
- Research Unit in Microorganisms Biology (URBM), Department of Biology, Namur, Belgium; Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Hugo Bâlon
- Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Biomolécules, UCPTS, University of Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Jean-Yves Matroule
- Research Unit in Microorganisms Biology (URBM), Department of Biology, Namur, Belgium; Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Catherine Michaux
- Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Biomolécules, UCPTS, University of Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur, Belgium; Namur Institute of Structured Matter (NISM), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium; Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Eric A Perpète
- Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Biomolécules, UCPTS, University of Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur, Belgium; Namur Institute of Structured Matter (NISM), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium; Institute of Life-Earth-Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
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9
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Hofmann L, Mandato A, Saxena S, Ruthstein S. The use of EPR spectroscopy to study transcription mechanisms. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:1141-1159. [PMID: 36345280 PMCID: PMC9636360 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-01004-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has become a promising structural biology tool to resolve complex and dynamic biological mechanisms in-vitro and in-cell. Here, we focus on the advantages of continuous wave (CW) and pulsed EPR distance measurements to resolve transcription processes and protein-DNA interaction. The wide range of spin-labeling approaches that can be used to follow structural changes in both protein and DNA render EPR a powerful method to study protein-DNA interactions and structure-function relationships in other macromolecular complexes. EPR-derived data goes well beyond static structural information and thus serves as the method of choice if dynamic insight is needed. Herein, we describe the conceptual details of the theory and the methodology and illustrate the use of EPR to study the protein-DNA interaction of the copper-sensitive transcription factor, CueR.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Hofmann
- Department of Chemistry and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - A. Mandato
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - S. Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - S. Ruthstein
- Department of Chemistry and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
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10
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Oranges M, Wort JL, Fukushima M, Fusco E, Ackermann K, Bode BE. Pulse Dipolar Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Reveals Buffer-Modulated Cooperativity of Metal-Templated Protein Dimerization. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:7847-7852. [PMID: 35976741 PMCID: PMC9421889 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly of protein monomers directed by metal ion coordination constitutes a promising strategy for designing supramolecular architectures complicated by the noncovalent interaction between monomers. Herein, two pulse dipolar electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (PDS) techniques, pulse electron-electron double resonance and relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement, were simultaneously employed to study the CuII-templated dimerization behavior of a model protein (Streptococcus sp. group G, protein G B1 domain) in both phosphate and Tris-HCl buffers. A cooperative binding model could simultaneously fit all data and demonstrate that the cooperativity of protein dimerization across α-helical double-histidine motifs in the presence of CuII is strongly modulated by the buffer, representing a platform for highly tunable buffer-switchable templated dimerization. Hence, PDS enriches the family of techniques for monitoring binding processes, supporting the development of novel strategies for bioengineering structures and stable architectures assembled by an initial metal-templated dimerization.
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11
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Singewald K, Wilkinson JA, Hasanbasri Z, Saxena S. Beyond structure: Deciphering site-specific dynamics in proteins from double histidine-based EPR measurements. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4359. [PMID: 35762707 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific dynamics in proteins are at the heart of protein function. While electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has potential to measure dynamics in large protein complexes, the reliance on flexible nitroxide labels is limitating especially for the accurate measurement of site-specific β-sheet dynamics. Here, we employed EPR spectroscopy to measure site-specific dynamics across the surface of a protein, GB1. Through the use of the double Histidine (dHis) motif, which enables labeling with a Cu(II) - nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) complex, dynamics information was obtained for both α-helical and β-sheet sites. Spectral simulations of the resulting CW-EPR report unique site-specific fluctuations across the surface of GB1. Additionally, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to complement the EPR data. The dynamics observed from MD agree with the EPR results. Furthermore, we observe small changes in gǁ values for different sites, which may be due to small differences in coordination geometry and/or local electrostatics of the site. Taken together, this work expands the utility of Cu(II)NTA-based EPR measurements to probe information beyond distance constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James A Wilkinson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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12
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Bogetti X, Hasanbasri Z, Hunter HR, Saxena S. An optimal acquisition scheme for Q-band EPR distance measurements using Cu 2+-based protein labels. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:14727-14739. [PMID: 35574729 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01032a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in site-directed Cu2+ labeling of proteins and nucleic acids have added an attractive new methodology to measure the structure-function relationship in biomolecules. Despite the promise, accessing the higher sensitivity of Q-band Double Electron Electron Resonance (DEER) has been challenging for Cu2+ labels designed for proteins. Q-band DEER experiments on this label typically require many measurements at different magnetic fields, since the pulses can excite only a few orientations at a given magnetic field. Herein, we analyze such orientational effects through simulations and show that three DEER measurements, at strategically selected magnetic fields, are generally sufficient to acquire an orientational-averaged DEER time trace for this spin label at Q-band. The modeling results are experimentally verified on Cu2+ labeled human glutathione S-transferase (hGSTA1-1). The DEER distance distribution measured at the Q-band shows good agreement with the distance distribution sampled by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and X-band experiments. The concordance of MD sampled distances and experimentally measured distances adds growing evidence that MD simulations can accurately predict distances for the Cu2+ labels, which remains a key bottleneck for the commonly used nitroxide label. In all, this minimal collection scheme reduces data collection time by as much as six-fold and is generally applicable to many octahedrally coordinated Cu2+ systems. Furthermore, the concepts presented here may be applied to other metals and pulsed EPR experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Hannah R Hunter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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13
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Tracking protein domain movements by EPR distance determination and multilateration. Methods Enzymol 2022; 666:121-144. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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14
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Singewald K, Wilkinson JA, Saxena AS. Copper Based Site-directed Spin Labeling of Proteins for Use in Pulsed and Continuous Wave EPR Spectroscopy. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4258. [PMID: 35087917 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-directed spin labeling in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is an attractive approach to measure residue specific dynamics and point-to-point distance distributions in a biomolecule. Here, we focus on the labeling of proteins with a Cu(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) complex, by exploiting two strategically placed histidine residues (called the dHis motif). This labeling strategy has emerged as a means to overcome key limitations of many spin labels. Through utilizing the dHis motif, Cu(II)NTA rigidly binds to a protein without depending on cysteine residues. This protocol outlines three major points: the synthesis of the Cu(II)NTA complex; the measurement of continuous wave and pulsed EPR spectra, to verify a successful synthesis, as well as successful protein labeling; and utilizing Cu(II)NTA labeled proteins, to measure distance constraints and backbone dynamics. In doing so, EPR measurements are less influenced by sidechain motion, which influences the breadth of the measured distance distributions between two spins, as well as the measured residue-specific dynamics. More broadly, such EPR-based distance measurements provide unique structural constraints for integrative structural biophysics and complement traditional biophysical techniques, such as NMR, cryo-EM, FRET, and crystallography. Graphic abstract: Monitoring the success of Cu(II)NTA labeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | | | - And Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
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15
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Ackermann K, Wort JL, Bode BE. Nanomolar Pulse Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy in Proteins: Cu II-Cu II and Nitroxide-Nitroxide Cases. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:5358-5364. [PMID: 33998795 PMCID: PMC7611071 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The study of ever more complex biomolecular assemblies implicated in human health and disease is facilitated by a suite of complementary biophysical methods. Pulse dipolar electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (PDS) is a powerful tool that provides highly precise geometric constraints in frozen solutions; however, the drive toward PDS at physiologically relevant sub-μM concentrations is limited by the currently achievable concentration sensitivity. Recently, PDS using a combination of nitroxide- and CuII-based spin labels allowed measuring a 500 nM concentration of a model protein. Using commercial instrumentation and spin labels, we demonstrate CuII-CuII and nitroxide-nitroxide PDS measurements at protein concentrations below previous examples reaching 500 and 100 nM, respectively. These results demonstrate the general feasibility of sub-μM PDS measurements at short to intermediate distances (∼1.5 to 3.5 nm), and are of particular relevance for applications where the achievable concentration is limiting.
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16
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Hasanbasri Z, Singewald K, Gluth TD, Driesschaert B, Saxena S. Cleavage-Resistant Protein Labeling With Hydrophilic Trityl Enables Distance Measurements In-Cell. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:5265-5274. [PMID: 33983738 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c02371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive in-cell distance measurements in proteins using pulsed-electron spin resonance (ESR) require reduction-resistant and cleavage-resistant spin labels. Among the reduction-resistant moieties, the hydrophilic trityl core known as OX063 is promising due to its long phase-memory relaxation time (Tm). This property leads to a sufficiently intense ESR signal for reliable distance measurements. Furthermore, the Tm of OX063 remains sufficiently long at higher temperatures, opening the possibility for measurements at temperatures above 50 K. In this work, we synthesized deuterated OX063 with a maleimide linker (mOX063-d24). We show that the combination of the hydrophilicity of the label and the maleimide linker enables high protein labeling that is cleavage-resistant in-cells. Distance measurements performed at 150 K using this label are more sensitive than the measurements at 80 K. The sensitivity gain is due to the significantly short longitudinal relaxation time (T1) at higher temperatures, which enables more data collection per unit of time. In addition to in vitro experiments, we perform distance measurements in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Interestingly, the Tm of mOX063-d24 is sufficiently long even in the crowded environment of the cell, leading to signals of appreciable intensity. Overall, mOX063-d24 provides highly sensitive distance measurements both in vitro and in-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Teresa D Gluth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy & In Vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance (IMMR) Center, Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Benoit Driesschaert
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy & In Vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance (IMMR) Center, Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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17
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Wort JL, Arya S, Ackermann K, Stewart AJ, Bode BE. Pulse Dipolar EPR Reveals Double-Histidine Motif Cu II-NTA Spin-Labeling Robustness against Competitor Ions. J Phys Chem Lett 2021. [PMID: 33715381 DOI: 10.17630/d7138874-55dd-4874-a2e8-c026fbc0b67f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Pulse-dipolar EPR is an appealing strategy for structural characterization of complex systems in solution that complements other biophysical techniques. Significantly, the emergence of genetically encoded self-assembling spin labels exploiting exogenously introduced double-histidine motifs in conjunction with CuII-chelates offers high precision distance determination in systems nonpermissive to thiol-directed spin labeling. However, the noncovalency of this interaction exposes potential vulnerabilities to competition from adventitious divalent metal ions, and pH sensitivity. Herein, a combination of room-temperature isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and cryogenic relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME) measurements are applied to the model protein Streptococcus sp. group G. protein G, B1 domain (GB1). Results demonstrate double-histidine motif spin labeling using CuII-nitrilotriacetic acid (CuII-NTA) is robust against the competitor ligand ZnII-NTA at >1000-fold molar excess, and high nM binding affinity is surprisingly retained under acidic and basic conditions even though room temperature affinity shows a stronger pH dependence. This indicates the strategy is well-suited for diverse biological applications, with the requirement of other metal ion cofactors or slightly acidic pH not necessarily being prohibitive.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Swati Arya
- School of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9TF, U.K
| | | | - Alan J Stewart
- School of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9TF, U.K
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18
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Wort J, Arya S, Ackermann K, Stewart AJ, Bode BE. Pulse Dipolar EPR Reveals Double-Histidine Motif Cu II-NTA Spin-Labeling Robustness against Competitor Ions. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:2815-2819. [PMID: 33715381 PMCID: PMC8006131 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Pulse-dipolar EPR is an appealing strategy for structural characterization of complex systems in solution that complements other biophysical techniques. Significantly, the emergence of genetically encoded self-assembling spin labels exploiting exogenously introduced double-histidine motifs in conjunction with CuII-chelates offers high precision distance determination in systems nonpermissive to thiol-directed spin labeling. However, the noncovalency of this interaction exposes potential vulnerabilities to competition from adventitious divalent metal ions, and pH sensitivity. Herein, a combination of room-temperature isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and cryogenic relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME) measurements are applied to the model protein Streptococcus sp. group G. protein G, B1 domain (GB1). Results demonstrate double-histidine motif spin labeling using CuII-nitrilotriacetic acid (CuII-NTA) is robust against the competitor ligand ZnII-NTA at >1000-fold molar excess, and high nM binding affinity is surprisingly retained under acidic and basic conditions even though room temperature affinity shows a stronger pH dependence. This indicates the strategy is well-suited for diverse biological applications, with the requirement of other metal ion cofactors or slightly acidic pH not necessarily being prohibitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua
L. Wort
- EaStCHEM
School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, Centre
of Magnetic Resonance, University of St.
Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, U.K.
| | - Swati Arya
- EaStCHEM
School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, Centre
of Magnetic Resonance, University of St.
Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, U.K.
- School
of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9TF, U.K.
| | - Katrin Ackermann
- EaStCHEM
School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, Centre
of Magnetic Resonance, University of St.
Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, U.K.
| | - Alan J. Stewart
- EaStCHEM
School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, Centre
of Magnetic Resonance, University of St.
Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, U.K.
- School
of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9TF, U.K.
| | - Bela E. Bode
- EaStCHEM
School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, Centre
of Magnetic Resonance, University of St.
Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, U.K.
- E-mail:
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19
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Gamble Jarvi A, Bogetti X, Singewald K, Ghosh S, Saxena S. Going the dHis-tance: Site-Directed Cu 2+ Labeling of Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Acc Chem Res 2021; 54:1481-1491. [PMID: 33476119 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In this Account, we showcase site-directed Cu2+ labeling in proteins and DNA, which has opened new avenues for the measurement of the structure and dynamics of biomolecules using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In proteins, the spin label is assembled in situ from natural amino acid residues and a metal complex and requires no post-expression synthetic modification or purification procedures. The labeling scheme exploits a double histidine (dHis) motif, which utilizes endogenous or site-specifically mutated histidine residues to coordinate a Cu2+ complex. Pulsed EPR measurements on such Cu2+-labeled proteins potentially yield distance distributions that are up to 5 times narrower than the common protein spin label-the approach, thus, overcomes the inherent limitation of the current technology, which relies on a spin label with a highly flexible side chain. This labeling scheme provides a straightforward method that elucidates biophysical information that is costly, complicated, or simply inaccessible by traditional EPR labels. Examples include the direct measurement of protein backbone dynamics at β-sheet sites, which are largely inaccessible through traditional spin labels, and rigid Cu2+-Cu2+ distance measurements that enable higher precision in the analysis of protein conformations, conformational changes, interactions with other biomolecules, and the relative orientations of two labeled protein subunits. Likewise, a Cu2+ label has been developed for use in DNA, which is small, is nucleotide independent, and is positioned within the DNA helix. The placement of the Cu2+ label directly reports on the biologically relevant backbone distance. Additionally, for both of these labeling techniques, we have developed models for interpretation of the EPR distance information, primarily utilizing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Initial results using force fields developed for both protein and DNA labels have agreed with experimental results, which has been a major bottleneck for traditional spin labels. Looking ahead, we anticipate new combinations of MD and EPR to further our understanding of protein and DNA conformational changes, as well as working synergistically to investigate protein-DNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Shreya Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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20
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Stratmann LM, Kutin Y, Kasanmascheff M, Clever GH. Precise Distance Measurements in DNA G-Quadruplex Dimers and Sandwich Complexes by Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:4939-4947. [PMID: 33063395 PMCID: PMC7984025 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202008618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
DNA G-quadruplexes show a pronounced tendency to form higher-order structures, such as π-stacked dimers and aggregates with aromatic binding partners. Reliable methods for determining the structure of these non-covalent adducts are scarce. Here, we use artificial square-planar Cu(pyridine)4 complexes, covalently incorporated into tetramolecular G-quadruplexes, as rigid spin labels for detecting dimeric structures and measuring intermolecular Cu2+ -Cu2+ distances via pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy. A series of G-quadruplex dimers of different spatial dimensions, formed in tail-to-tail or head-to-head stacking mode, were unambiguously distinguished. Measured distances are in full agreement with results of molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, intercalation of two well-known G-quadruplex binders, PIPER and telomestatin, into G-quadruplex dimers resulting in sandwich complexes was investigated, and previously unknown binding modes were discovered. Additionally, we present evidence that free G-tetrads also intercalate into dimers. Our transition metal labeling approach, combined with pulsed EPR spectroscopy, opens new possibilities for examining structures of non-covalent DNA aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas M. Stratmann
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn-Strasse 644227DortmundGermany
| | - Yury Kutin
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn-Strasse 644227DortmundGermany
| | - Müge Kasanmascheff
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn-Strasse 644227DortmundGermany
| | - Guido H. Clever
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU Dortmund UniversityOtto-Hahn-Strasse 644227DortmundGermany
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21
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Abdullin D, Schiemann O. Localization of metal ions in biomolecules by means of pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy. Dalton Trans 2021; 50:808-815. [PMID: 33416053 DOI: 10.1039/d0dt03596c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Metal ions are important for the folding, structure, and function of biomolecules. Thus, knowing where their binding sites are located in proteins or oligonucleotides is a critical objective. X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance are powerful methods in this respect, but both have their limitations. Here, a complementary method is highlighted in which paramagnetic metal ions are localized by means of trilateration using a combination of site-directed spin labeling and pulsed dipolar electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The working principle, the requirements, and the limitations of the method are critically discussed. Several applications of the method are outlined and compared with each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinar Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
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22
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Stratmann LM, Kutin Y, Kasanmascheff M, Clever GH. Präzise Abstandsmessungen in DNA‐G‐Quadruplex‐Dimeren und Sandwichkomplexen über gepulste dipolare EPR‐Spektroskopie. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202008618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lukas M. Stratmann
- Fakultät für Chemie und Chemische Biologie TU Dortmund Otto-Hahn-Straße 6 44227 Dortmund Deutschland
| | - Yury Kutin
- Fakultät für Chemie und Chemische Biologie TU Dortmund Otto-Hahn-Straße 6 44227 Dortmund Deutschland
| | - Müge Kasanmascheff
- Fakultät für Chemie und Chemische Biologie TU Dortmund Otto-Hahn-Straße 6 44227 Dortmund Deutschland
| | - Guido H. Clever
- Fakultät für Chemie und Chemische Biologie TU Dortmund Otto-Hahn-Straße 6 44227 Dortmund Deutschland
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23
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Gamble Jarvi A, Casto J, Saxena S. Buffer effects on site directed Cu 2+-labeling using the double histidine motif. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2020; 320:106848. [PMID: 33164758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2020.106848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The double histidine, or dHis, motif has emerged as a powerful spin labeling tool to determine the conformations and dynamics, subunit orientation, native metal binding site location, and other physical characteristics of proteins by Cu2+-based electron paramagnetic resonance. Here, we investigate the efficacy of this technique in five common buffer systems, and show that buffer choice can impact the loading of Cu2+-NTA into dHis sites, and more generally, the sensitivity of the overall technique. We also present a standardized and optimized examination of labeling of the dHis motif with Cu2+-NTA for EPR based distance measurements. We provide optimal loading procedures, using representative EPR and UV/Vis data for each step in the process. From this data, we find that maximal dHis loading can be achieved in under 30 min with low temperature sample incubation. Using only these optimal procedures, we see up to a 28% increase in fully labeled proteins compared to previously published results in N-ethylmorpholine. Using both this optimized procedure as well as a more optimal buffer, we can achieve up to 80% fully loaded proteins, which corresponds to a 64% increase compared to the prior data. These results provide insight and deeper understanding of the dHis Cu2+-NTA system, the variables that impact its efficacy, and present a method by which these issues may be mitigated for the most efficient labeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Joshua Casto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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24
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Singewald K, Bogetti X, Sinha K, Rule GS, Saxena S. Double Histidine Based EPR Measurements at Physiological Temperatures Permit Site‐Specific Elucidation of Hidden Dynamics in Enzymes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:23040-23044. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.202009982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
| | - Kaustubh Sinha
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Gordon S Rule
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
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25
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Singewald K, Bogetti X, Sinha K, Rule GS, Saxena S. Double Histidine Based EPR Measurements at Physiological Temperatures Permit Site‐Specific Elucidation of Hidden Dynamics in Enzymes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202009982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
| | - Kaustubh Sinha
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Gordon S Rule
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
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26
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Ghosh S, Lawless MJ, Brubaker HJ, Singewald K, Kurpiewski MR, Jen-Jacobson L, Saxena S. Cu2+-based distance measurements by pulsed EPR provide distance constraints for DNA backbone conformations in solution. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e49. [PMID: 32095832 PMCID: PMC7229862 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has become an important tool to probe conformational changes in nucleic acids. An array of EPR labels for nucleic acids are available, but they often come at the cost of long tethers, are dependent on the presence of a particular nucleotide or can be placed only at the termini. Site directed incorporation of Cu2+-chelated to a ligand, 2,2'dipicolylamine (DPA) is potentially an attractive strategy for site-specific, nucleotide independent Cu2+-labelling in DNA. To fully understand the potential of this label, we undertook a systematic and detailed analysis of the Cu2+-DPA motif using EPR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We used continuous wave EPR experiments to characterize Cu2+ binding to DPA as well as optimize Cu2+ loading conditions. We performed double electron-electron resonance (DEER) experiments at two frequencies to elucidate orientational selectivity effects. Furthermore, comparison of DEER and MD simulated distance distributions reveal a remarkable agreement in the most probable distances. The results illustrate the efficacy of the Cu2+-DPA in reporting on DNA backbone conformations for sufficiently long base pair separations. This labelling strategy can serve as an important tool for probing conformational changes in DNA upon interaction with other macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Matthew J Lawless
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Hanna J Brubaker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Michael R Kurpiewski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Linda Jen-Jacobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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27
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Di Mauro GM, Hardin NZ, Ramamoorthy A. Lipid-nanodiscs formed by paramagnetic metal chelated polymer for fast NMR data acquisition. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1862:183332. [PMID: 32360741 PMCID: PMC7340147 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Lipid-nanodiscs have been shown to be an exciting innovation as a membrane-mimicking system for studies on membrane proteins by a variety of biophysical techniques, including NMR spectroscopy. Although NMR spectroscopy is unique in enabling the atomic-resolution investigation of dynamic structures of membrane-associated molecules, it, unfortunately, suffers from intrinsically low sensitivity. The long data acquisition often used to enhance the sensitivity is not desirable for sensitive membrane proteins. Instead, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) has been used to reduce NMR data acquisition time or to reduce the amount of sample required to acquire an NMR spectra. However, the PRE approach involves the introduction of external paramagnetic probes in the system, which can induce undesired changes in the sample and on the observed NMR spectra. For example, the addition of paramagnetic ions, as frequently used, can denature the protein via direct interaction and also through sample heating. In this study, we show how the introduction of paramagnetic tags on the outer belt of polymer-nanodiscs can be used to speed-up data acquisition by significantly reducing the spin-lattice relaxation (T1) times with minimum-to-no alteration of the spectral quality. Our results also demonstrate the feasibility of using different types of paramagnetic ions (Eu3+, Gd3+, Dy3+, Er3+, Yb3+) for NMR studies on lipid-nanodiscs. Experimental results characterizing the formation of lipid-nanodiscs by the metal-chelated polymer, and their increased tolerance toward metal ions are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo M Di Mauro
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
| | - Nathaniel Z Hardin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA; Biophysics and Chemistry Department, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA; Macromolecular Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA; Biomedical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA.
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28
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Braun TS, Widder P, Osswald U, Groß L, Williams L, Schmidt M, Helmle I, Summerer D, Drescher M. Isoindoline-Based Nitroxides as Bioresistant Spin Labels for Protein Labeling through Cysteines and Alkyne-Bearing Noncanonical Amino Acids. Chembiochem 2020; 21:958-962. [PMID: 31657498 PMCID: PMC7187341 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in combination with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a powerful tool in protein structural research. Nitroxides are highly suitable spin labeling reagents, but suffer from limited stability, particularly in the cellular environment. Herein we present the synthesis of a maleimide- and an azide-modified tetraethyl-shielded isoindoline-based nitroxide (M- and Az-TEIO) for labeling of cysteines or the noncanonical amino acid para-ethynyl-l-phenylalanine (pENF). We demonstrate the high stability of TEIO site-specifically attached to the protein thioredoxin (TRX) against reduction in prokaryotic and eukaryotic environments, and conduct double electron-electron resonance (DEER) measurements. We further generate a rotamer library for the new residue pENF-Az-TEIO that affords a distance distribution that is in agreement with the measured distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Sophie Braun
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology (KoRS-CB)University of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Pia Widder
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology (KoRS-CB)University of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Uwe Osswald
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Lina Groß
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Lara Williams
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Moritz Schmidt
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Irina Helmle
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
- Present address: Faculty of ScienceDepartment of Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of TübingenAuf der Morgenstelle 872076TübingenGermany
| | - Daniel Summerer
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyTU DortmundOtto-Hahn-Strasse 4a44227DortmundGermany
| | - Malte Drescher
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology (KoRS-CB)University of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
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29
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Bogetti X, Ghosh S, Gamble Jarvi A, Wang J, Saxena S. Molecular Dynamics Simulations Based on Newly Developed Force Field Parameters for Cu 2+ Spin Labels Provide Insights into Double-Histidine-Based Double Electron-Electron Resonance. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:2788-2797. [PMID: 32181671 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in combination with the recently developed double-histidine (dHis)-based Cu2+ spin labeling has provided valuable insights into protein structure and conformational dynamics. To relate sparse distance constraints measured by EPR to protein fluctuations in solution, modeling techniques are needed. In this work, we have developed force field parameters for Cu2+-nitrilotriacetic and Cu2+-iminodiacetic acid spin labels. We employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to capture the atomic-level details of dHis-labeled protein fluctuations. The interspin distances extracted from 200 ns MD trajectories show good agreement with the experimental results. The MD simulations also illustrate the dramatic rigidity of the Cu2+ labels compared to the standard nitroxide spin label. Further, the relative orientations between spin-labeled sites were measured to provide insight into the use of double electron-electron resonance (DEER) methods for such labels. The relative mean angles, as well as the standard deviations of the relative angles, agree well in general with the spectral simulations published previously. The fluctuations of relative orientations help rationalize why orientation selectivity effects are minimal at X-band frequencies, but observable at the Q-band for such labels. In summary, the results show that by combining the experimental results with MD simulations precise information about protein conformations as well as flexibility can be obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Shreya Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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30
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Abdullin D, Schiemann O. Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy and Metal Ions: Methodology and Biological Applications. Chempluschem 2020; 85:353-372. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201900705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dinar Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
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31
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Wort JL, Ackermann K, Giannoulis A, Stewart AJ, Norman DG, Bode BE. Sub-Micromolar Pulse Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy Reveals Increasing Cu II -labelling of Double-Histidine Motifs with Lower Temperature. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:11681-11685. [PMID: 31218813 PMCID: PMC6771633 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201904848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) distance measurements are making increasingly important contributions to the studies of biomolecules by providing highly accurate geometric constraints. Combining double-histidine motifs with CuII spin labels can further increase the precision of distance measurements. It is also useful for proteins containing essential cysteines that can interfere with thiol-specific labelling. However, the non-covalent CuII coordination approach is vulnerable to low binding-affinity. Herein, dissociation constants (KD ) are investigated directly from the modulation depths of relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME) EPR experiments. This reveals low- to sub-μm CuII KD s under EPR distance measurement conditions at cryogenic temperatures. We show the feasibility of exploiting the double-histidine motif for EPR applications even at sub-μm protein concentrations in orthogonally labelled CuII -nitroxide systems using a commercial Q-band EPR instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L. Wort
- EaStCHEM School of ChemistryBiomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic ResonanceUniversity of St AndrewsNorth HaughSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
| | - Katrin Ackermann
- EaStCHEM School of ChemistryBiomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic ResonanceUniversity of St AndrewsNorth HaughSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
| | - Angeliki Giannoulis
- EaStCHEM School of ChemistryBiomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic ResonanceUniversity of St AndrewsNorth HaughSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
| | - Alan J. Stewart
- School of MedicineBiomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic ResonanceUniversity of St AndrewsNorth HaughSt AndrewsKY16 9TFUK
| | - David G. Norman
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Dundee, Medical Sciences InstituteDundeeDD1 5EHUK
| | - Bela E. Bode
- EaStCHEM School of ChemistryBiomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic ResonanceUniversity of St AndrewsNorth HaughSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
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32
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Wort JL, Ackermann K, Giannoulis A, Stewart AJ, Norman DG, Bode BE. Sub‐Micromolar Pulse Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy Reveals Increasing Cu
II
‐labelling of Double‐Histidine Motifs with Lower Temperature. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201904848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L. Wort
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance University of St Andrews North Haugh St Andrews KY16 9ST UK
| | - Katrin Ackermann
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance University of St Andrews North Haugh St Andrews KY16 9ST UK
| | - Angeliki Giannoulis
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance University of St Andrews North Haugh St Andrews KY16 9ST UK
| | - Alan J. Stewart
- School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance University of St Andrews North Haugh St Andrews KY16 9TF UK
| | - David G. Norman
- School of Life Sciences University of Dundee, Medical Sciences Institute Dundee DD1 5EH UK
| | - Bela E. Bode
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance University of St Andrews North Haugh St Andrews KY16 9ST UK
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