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1.
Solid State Nucl Magn Reson ; 134: 101971, 2024 Sep 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39357421

ABSTRACT

Through-space heteronuclear correlation experiments under magic-angle spinning (MAS) conditions can provide unique insights into inter-atomic proximities. In particular, it has been shown that experiments based on two consecutive coherence transfers, 1H → I → 1H, like D-HMQC (dipolar-mediated heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation), are usually more sensitive for the indirect detection via protons of spin-3/2 quadrupolar nuclei with low gyromagnetic ratio. Nevertheless, the resolution is often decreased by the second-order quadrupolar broadening along the indirect dimension. To circumvent this issue, we incorporate an MQMAS (multiple-quantum MAS) quadrupolar filter into the t1 evolution period of the D-HMQC sequence, which results in a novel pulse sequence called D-HMQC-MQ. The triple-quantum coherences evolving during this filter are excited and reconverted using cosine-modulated long-pulses synchronized with the sample rotation to avoid spinning sidebands in the indirect dimension. The desired coherence transfer pathways during this sequence are selected using two nested cogwheel phase cycles with 56 steps. This high-resolution heteronuclear correlation technique is demonstrated experimentally for the indirect detection via 1H of spin-3/2 isotopes, such as 11B, 23Na and 35Cl, in zinc borate hydrate, NaH2PO4 and l-histidine hydrochloride, respectively. We show that this experiment can be applied at high magnetic fields up to 28.2 T for protons subject to chemical shift anisotropies larger than 20 ppm, provided the MAS frequency is sufficiently stable since the D-HMQC-MQ experiment, like the parent D-HMQC, is sensitive to MAS fluctuations, which can produce t1-noise.

2.
Mol Pharm ; 2024 Oct 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39364799

ABSTRACT

Ternary amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) consist of a multicomponent carrier with the aim of improving physical stability or dissolution performance. A polymer blend as a carrier that combines a water-insoluble and a water-soluble polymer may delay the drug release rate, minimizing the risk of precipitation from the supersaturated state. Different microstructures of the ternary ASD may result in different drug release performances; hence, understanding the phase morphology of the polymer blend is crucial prior to drug incorporation. The objective of this study is to investigate the miscibility of the water-insoluble p(MMA-co-HEMA) and water-soluble polymers such as HPC, HPMC, HPMC-AS, and Soluplus. To prepare the polymer blends, p(MMA-co-HEMA) was spray dried in 80/20 and 90/10 (w/w) ratios with one of the water-soluble polymers. Thermal analysis (mDSC and DMA) and solid-state (ss)NMR relaxometry were applied to study the miscibility of these blends. No conclusions regarding miscibility could be drawn from the Tg measurements by thermal analysis. However, phase-separation could be demonstrated in all blends by ssNMR relaxometry. Moreover, by measuring both the T1ρH and T1H relaxation times, domain sizes between 5 and 50 nm could be estimated. This work shows the importance of using complementary analytical techniques to investigate polymer miscibility.

3.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; : e202408704, 2024 Oct 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39388344

ABSTRACT

Ultra-fast magic-angle spinning (100+ kHz) has revolutionized solid-state NMR of biomolecular systems but has so far failed to gain ground for the analysis of paramagnetic organic and inorganic powders, despite the potential rewards from substantially improved spectral resolution. The principal blockages are that the smaller fast-spinning rotors present significant barriers for sample preparation, particularly for air/moisture-sensitive systems, and are associated with lower sensitivity from the reduced sample volumes. Here these difficulties are overcome by improvements in rotor ceramics and handling methods that enable the routine use of this setup for repetitive, high-throughput analysis of sensitive samples. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the sensitivity penalty is less severe than expected for highly paramagnetic solids and is more than offset by the associated improved resolution. While previous approaches employing slower MAS are often unsuccessful in providing sufficient resolution, we show that ultra-fast 100+ kHz MAS allows site-specific assignments of all resonances from complex paramagnetic solids. This opens the way to routine characterisation of geometry and electronic structures of functional paramagnetic systems in chemistry, including catalysts and battery materials. We benchmark this approach on a hygroscopic luminescent Tb3+ complex, an air-sensitive homogeneous high-spin Fe2+ catalyst, and a series of mixed Fe2+/Mn2+/Mg2+ olivine-type cathode materials.

4.
Chemistry ; : e202402683, 2024 Oct 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39384536

ABSTRACT

Transformations of solid samples under solvent-free or minimal solvent conditions set the future trend and define a modern strategy for the production of new materials. Of the various technologies tested in recent years, the mechanochemical approach seems to be the most promising. The aim of this review article is to present the current state of art in solid state research on binary systems, which have found numerous applications in the pharmaceutical and materials science industries. This article is divided into three sections. In the first part, we describe the new equipment improvements. A brief description of techniques dedicated to ex-situ and in-situ studies of progress and the mechanism of solid matter transformation  is presented. In the second section, we discuss the problem of cocrystal polymorphism highlighting the issue related with correlation between mechanochemical parameters (time, temperature, energy, molar ratio, liquid assistant, surface energy, crystal size, crystal shape) and preference for the formation of requested polymorph. The last part is devoted to the description of the processes of coformer exchange in binary systems forced by mechanical and/or thermal stimuli. The influence of the thermodynamic factor on the selection of the best-suited partner for the formation of a two-component  structure is presented.

5.
Biophys Chem ; 315: 107329, 2024 Sep 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39369577

ABSTRACT

Natronomonas pharaonis halorhodopsin (NpHR) is a light-driven Cl- inward pump that is widely used as an optogenetic tool. Although NpHR is previously extensively studied, its Cl- uptake process is not well understood from the protein structure perspective, mainly because in crystalline lattice, it has been difficult to analyze the structural changes associated with the Cl- uptake process. In this study, we used solid-state NMR to analyze NpHR both in the Cl--bound and -free states under near-physiological transmembrane condition. Chemical shift perturbation analysis suggested that while the structural change caused by the Cl- depletion is widespread over the NpHR molecule, residues in the extracellular (EC) part of helix D exhibited significant conformational changes that may be related to the Cl- uptake process. By combining photochemical analysis and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state NMR measurement on NpHR point mutants for the suggested residues, we confirmed their importance in the Cl- uptake process. In particular, we found the mutation at Ala165 position, located at the trimer interface, to an amino acid with bulky sidechain (A165V) significantly perturbs the late photocycle and disrupts its trimeric assembly in the Cl--free state as well as during the ion-pumping cycle under the photo-irradiated condition. This strongly suggested an outward movement of helix D at EC part, disrupting the trimer integrity. Together with the spectroscopic data and known NpHR crystal structures, we proposed a model that this helix movement is required for creating the Cl- entrance path on the extracellular surface of the protein and is crucial to the Cl- uptake process.

6.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 22378, 2024 09 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39333695

ABSTRACT

This study conducts a comprehensive analysis and comparison of Bombyx mori cuticles across different developmental stages, ranging from larval to adult, utilizing advanced solid-state NMR techniques. The primary objective is to elucidate the underlying reasons for the contrasting hardness of adult cuticles and softness of larval cuticles. Notably, PXRD analysis reveals a prominent broad peak at 19.34°, indicating the predominantly amorphous nature of both larval and adult cuticles. Analysis of 13C CP-MAS SSNMR spectra highlights an elevated proportion of phenoxy carbon in adult cuticles (6.77%) compared to larval cuticles (1.24%). Furthermore, a distinctive resonance line at 144 ppm is exclusively observed in adult cuticles, due to catechols, suggesting potential biochemical pathway variations during development. Significant variations in the primary components of 13C chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors for aliphatic carbons of amino acids, catechols, and lipids between adult and larval cuticles indicate alterations in electronic environments. Additionally, the shorter spin-lattice relaxation time of carbon nuclei in larval cuticles compared to adult cuticles implies slower motional dynamics with enhanced degree of sclerotization in adults. By investigating the internal structure and dynamics of cuticles, this research not only contributes to biomimetic material development but also enhances our understanding of structural changes across different developmental stages of B. mori.


Subject(s)
Bombyx , Larva , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Bombyx/growth & development , Animals , Larva/growth & development , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods
7.
Curr Opin Struct Biol ; 89: 102921, 2024 Sep 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39293192

ABSTRACT

Chromatin is a complex of DNA with histone proteins organized into nucleosomes that regulates genome accessibility and controls transcription, replication and repair by dynamically switching between open and compact states as a function of different parameters including histone post-translational modifications and interactions with chromatin modulators. Continuing advances in structural biology techniques including X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have facilitated studies of chromatin systems, in spite of challenges posed by their large size and dynamic nature, yielding important functional and mechanistic insights. In this review we highlight recent applications of magic angle spinning solid-state NMR - an emerging technique that is uniquely-suited toward providing atomistic information for rigid and flexible regions within biomacromolecular assemblies - to detailed characterization of structure, conformational dynamics and interactions for histone core and tail domains in condensed nucleosomes and oligonucleosome arrays mimicking chromatin at high densities characteristic of the cellular environment.

8.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng ; 10(10): 6135-6143, 2024 Oct 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39289793

ABSTRACT

Recombinant spider silk protein (RSP) is a promising biomaterial for developing high-performance materials independent of fossil fuels. In this study, we investigated the influence of the initial secondary structure of RSPs on the properties of RSP-based hydrogels. By altering the initial structure of RSP to ß-sheets (ß-RSP), α-helices (α-RSP), and random coils (rc-RSP) through solvent treatment, we compared the structures and mechanical properties of the resulting gels. Solid-state NMR revealed a ß-sheet-rich structure in all gels, with the α-RSP gel exhibiting significantly higher strength and Young's modulus compared to the rc-RSP gel. X-ray diffraction revealed that the α-RSP gel had a unique crystalline structure, distinguishing it from the ß-RSP and rc-RSP gels. The different initial secondary structures possibly lead to variations in the crystalline and network structures of the molecular chains within the gels, explaining the superior mechanical properties observed in the α-RSP gels.


Subject(s)
Silk , Spiders , Animals , Spiders/chemistry , Silk/chemistry , Protein Structure, Secondary , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Elastic Modulus , Hydrogels/chemistry , X-Ray Diffraction , Gels/chemistry , Fibroins/chemistry
9.
Biophys Rep ; 10(4): 201-212, 2024 Aug 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39281198

ABSTRACT

Sedimentation solid-state NMR is a novel method for sample preparation in solid-state NMR (ssNMR) studies. It involves the sedimentation of soluble macromolecules such as large protein complexes. By utilizing ultra-high centrifugal forces, the molecules in solution are driven into a high-concentrated hydrogel, resulting in a sample suitable for solid-state NMR. This technique has the advantage of avoiding the need for chemical treatment, thus minimizing the loss of sample biological activity. Sediment ssNMR has been successfully applied to a variety of non-crystalline protein solids, significantly expanding the scope of solid-state NMR research. In theory, using this method, any biological macromolecule in solution can be transferred into a sedimented solute appropriate for solid-state NMR analysis. However, specialized equipment and careful handling are essential for effectively collecting and loading the sedimented solids to solid-state NMR rotors. To improve efficiency, we have designed a series of loading tools to achieve the loading process from the solution to the rotor in one step. In this paper, we illustrate the sample preparation process of sediment NMR using the H1.4-NCP167 complex, which consists of linker histone H1.4 and nucleosome core particle, as an example.

10.
Chemistry ; : e202402775, 2024 Sep 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39349359

ABSTRACT

As a promising porous material for CO2 adsorption and storage, elastic layer-structured metal-organic framework-11 (ELM-11) has attracted significant attention owing to its distinct gate-opening phenomenon. There is a sharp increase in CO2 uptake once reaching the gate-opening threshold pressure. To better understand this gate-opening mechanism, we investigated its transition process from the perspective of CO2 dynamics and its interaction with the framework via variable-temperature 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our findings revealed that during the gate-opening process, CO2 is initially strongly adsorbed at one site when the gate only slightly opens, while two distinct types of CO2 molecules exist when the gate fully opens. 11B, 13C, and 19F magic-angle spinning NMR, in conjunction with in-situ XANES experiments, were also conducted to probe the location of adsorption sites.

11.
ACS Nano ; 2024 Sep 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39254701

ABSTRACT

Despite the widespread use of hydrofluoric acid (HF) in the preparation of silicon surfaces, the true nature of fluorinated surface species remains unclear. Here, we employ an array of characterization techniques led by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to uncover the nature of fluorinated moieties on the surface of hydride-terminated silicon nanoparticles (H-SiNPs). A structural model that explains the observed trends in 19F and 29Si magnetic shielding is proposed and further supported by quantum chemical computations. Fluorine is incorporated into local oxidation domains on the surface and clustered at the interface of the oxide and surrounding hydride-terminated surface. Silicon sites capped by a single fluorine are also identified by their distinct 19F and 29Si chemical shifts, providing insight into how fluorine termination influences the electronic structure. The extent of fluorine passivation and the effects of fluorine on the optical properties of SiNPs are also discussed. Finally, challenges associated with Teflon contamination are highlighted that future explorations of nanomaterials may have to contend with.

12.
J Pharm Sci ; 2024 Sep 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39313152

ABSTRACT

Changes in the protonation state of lyophilized proteins can impact structural integrity, chemical stability, and propensity to aggregate upon reconstitution. When a buffer is chosen, the freezing/drying process may result in dramatic changes in the protonation state of the protein due to ionization shift of the buffer. In order to determine whether protonation shifts are occurring, ionizable probes can be added to the formulation. Optical probes (dyes) have shown dramatic ionization changes in lyophilized products, but it is unclear whether the pH indicator is uniform throughout the matrix and whether the change in the pH indicator actually mirrors drug ionization changes. In solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy, the chemical shift of the carbonyl carbon in carboxylic acids is very sensitive to the ionization state of the acid. Therefore, SSNMR can be used to measure ionization changes in a lyophilized matrix by employing a small quantity of an isotopically-labeled carboxylic acid species in the formulation. This paper compares the apparent pH of six trehalose-containing lyophilized buffer systems using SSNMR and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UVDRS). Both SSNMR and UVDRS results using two different ionization probes (butyric acid and bromocresol purple, respectively) showed little change in apparent acidity compared to the pre-lyophilized solution in a sodium citrate buffer, but a greater change was observed in potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate, and histidine buffers. While the trends between the two methods were similar, there were differences in the numerical values of equivalent pH (pHeq) observed between the two methods. The potential causes contributing to the differences are discussed.

13.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; : e202414823, 2024 Sep 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39291298

ABSTRACT

The metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) attract interest as potential catalysts whose catalytic properties are driven by defects. Several methods have been proposed for the defects-inducing synthesis of MOFs. However, the active species formed on the defective sites remain elusive and uncharacterized, as the spectroscopic fingerprints of these species are hidden by the regular structure signals. In this work, we have performed the synthesis of ZIF-8 MOF with defect-inducing procedures using fully deuterated 2-methylimidazolate ligands to enhance the defective sites' visibility. By combining 1H and 31P MAS NMR spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have found evidence for the presence of different structural hydroxyl Zn-OH groups in the ZIF-8 materials. It is demonstrated that the ZIF-8 defect sites are represented by Zn-OH hydroxyl groups with the signals at 0.3 and -0.7 ppm in 1H MAS NMR spectrum. These species are of basic nature and may be responsible for the catalytic activity of the ZIF-8 material.

14.
J Mol Biol ; 436(22): 168792, 2024 Sep 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39270971

ABSTRACT

The 91 kDa oligomeric ring-shaped ligand binding protein TRAP (trp RNA binding attenuation protein) regulates the expression of a series of genes involved in tryptophan (Trp) biosynthesis in bacilli. When cellular Trp levels rise, the free amino acid binds to sites buried in the interfaces between each of the 11 (or 12, depending on the species) protomers in the ring. Crystal structures of Trp-bound TRAP show the Trp ligands are sequestered from solvent by a pair of loops from adjacent protomers that bury the bound ligand via polar contacts to several threonine residues. Binding of the Trp ligands occurs cooperatively, such that successive binding events occur with higher apparent affinity but the structural basis for this cooperativity is poorly understood. We used solution methyl-TROSY NMR relaxation experiments focused on threonine and isoleucine sidechains, as well as magic angle spinning solid-state NMR 13C-13C and 15N-13C chemical shift correlation spectra on uniformly labeled samples recorded at 800 and 1200 MHz, to characterize the structure and dynamics of the protein. Methyl 13C relaxation dispersion experiments on ligand-free apo TRAP revealed concerted exchange dynamics on the µs-ms time scale, consistent with transient sampling of conformations that could allow ligand binding. Cross-correlated relaxation experiments revealed widespread disorder on fast timescales. Chemical shifts for methyl-bearing side chains in apo- and Trp-bound TRAP revealed subtle changes in the distribution of sampled sidechain rotameric states. These observations reveal a pathway and mechanism for induced conformational changes to generate homotropic Trp-Trp binding cooperativity.

15.
ChemMedChem ; : e202400340, 2024 Aug 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39116305

ABSTRACT

During therapeutic protein development, two-dimensional (2D) heteronuclear NMR spectra can be a powerful analytical method for measuring protein higher order structure (HOS) in solution since the spectra exhibit much higher resolution than homonuclear 1H spectra. However, 2D NMR capabilities for characterizing protein HOS in crystalline states remain to be assessed, given the low 13C natural abundance and intrinsically broader lines in solid-state NMR (SSNMR). Herein, high-resolution heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) SSNMR was utilized to directly measure intact crystal drug products of insulin human, insulin analogs of insulin lispro and insulin aspart. The fingerprint regions in 2D 1H-13C HETCOR spectra were identified, which distinguished the insulin crystals in their primary structure, HOS heterogeneity and dynamics, as well as the manufacturing processes. The HOS heterogeneity in insulin analogs is consistent with their therapeutic effect of rapid action; while insulin human crystals showed more structural homogeneity, consistent with their slower pharmacokinetics (PK) peak time than insulin analogs. Therefore, heteronuclear NMR could be broadly applicable to study protein drug dosage forms from liquid to solid, yielding improved molecular level structure data for assessing drug HOS in biosimilar drug development.

16.
Chemphyschem ; 25(19): e202400613, 2024 Oct 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39101285

ABSTRACT

Solid-state NMR of low-γ nuclides is often characterized by low sensitivity and by significant spectral broadenings induced by the quadrupolar and the chemical-shift anisotropy interactions. Herein, we introduce an indirect acquisition method, termed PROgressive Saturation of the Proton Reservoir Under Spinning (PROSPRUS), which could facilitate the acquisition of ultra-wideline NMR spectra under magic-angle spinning (MAS), in systems with a sufficiently long dipolar relaxation time, T1D. PROSPRUS NMR relies on the generation of so-called second-order dipolar order among abundant protons undergoing MAS, and on the subsequent depletion of this dipolar order by a series of looped cross-polarization events, transferring the proton order into polarization of the low-γ I-nuclei as a function of the latter's offsets. While the spin dynamics of the ensuing experiment is complex, particularly when dealing with narrow I spectral lines, it is shown that PROSPRUS can lead to faithful lineshapes for ultra-wideline spin-1/2 and spin-1 species, providing high sensitivity with extremely low RF power requirements. It is also shown that the ensuing 1H-detected PROSPRUS experiments can efficiently characterize I-spin lineshapes in excess of 1 MHz without having to retune electronics, while providing improvements in sensitivity per unit time over current broadband direct-detection methods by up to a factor of four.

17.
Chemphyschem ; 25(20): e202400537, 2024 Oct 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39129653

ABSTRACT

Noncovalent interactions are the basis for a large number of chemical and biological molecular-recognition processes, such as those occurring in supramolecular chemistry, catalysis, solid-state reactions in mechanochemistry, protein folding, protein-nucleic acid binding, and biomolecular phase separation processes. In this perspective article, some recent developments in probing noncovalent interactions by proton-detected solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at Magic-Angle Spinning (MAS) frequencies of 100 kHz and more are reviewed. The development of MAS rotors with decreasing outer diameters, combined with the development of superconducting magnets operating at high static magnetic-field strengths up to 28.2 T (1200 MHz proton Larmor frequency) improves resolution and sensitivity in proton-detected solid-state NMR, which is the fundamental requirement for shedding light on noncovalent interactions in solids. The examples reported in this article range from protein-nucleic acid binding in large ATP-fueled motor proteins to a hydrogen-π interaction in a calixarene-lanthanide complex.


Subject(s)
Proteins , Proteins/chemistry , Proteins/metabolism , Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular , Nucleic Acids/chemistry , Nucleic Acids/metabolism , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods
18.
bioRxiv ; 2024 Aug 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39185239

ABSTRACT

Hyperphosphorylation of the protein tau is one of the biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases in the category of tauopathies. However, the molecular level, mechanistic, role of this common post-translational modification (PTM) in enhancing or reducing the aggregation propensity of tau is unclear, especially considering that combinatorial phosphorylation of multiple sites can have complex, non-additive, effects on tau protein aggregation. Since tau proteins stack in register and parallel to elongate into pathological fibrils, phosphoryl groups from adjacent tau strands with 4.8 Å separation must find an energetically favorable spatial arrangement. At first glance, this appears to be an unfavorable configuration due to the proximity of negative charges between phosphate groups from adjacent neighboring tau fibrils. However, this study tests a counterhypothesis that phosphoryl groups within the fibril core-forming segments favorably assemble into highly ordered, hydrogen-bonded, one-dimensionally extended wires under biologically relevant conditions. We selected two phosphorylation sites associated with neurodegeneration, serine 305 (S305p) and tyrosine 310 (Y310p), on a model tau peptide jR2R3-P301L (tau295-313) spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau, that readily aggregate into a fibril with characteristics of a seed-competent mini prion. Using multiple quantum spin counting (MQ-SC) by 31P solid-state NMR of phosphorylated jR2R3-P301L tau peptide fibrils, enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization, we find that at least six phosphorous spins must neatly arrange in 1D within fibrils or in 2D within a protofibril to yield the experimentally observed MQ-coherence orders of four. We found that S305p stabilizes the tau fibrils and leads to more seeding-competent fibrils compared to jR2R3 P301L or Y310p. This study introduces a new concept that phosphorylation of residues within a core forming tau segment can mechanically facilitate fibril registry and stability due a hitherto unrecognized role of phosphoryl groups to form highly ordered, extended, 1D wires that stabilize pathological tau fibrils.

19.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; : e202411472, 2024 Aug 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39157914

ABSTRACT

Motional properties of proteins govern recognition, catalysis, and regulation. The dynamics of tightly interacting residues can form intramolecular dynamic networks, dependencies fine-tuned by evolution to optimize a plethora of functional aspects. The constructive interaction of residues from different proteins to assemble intermolecular dynamic networks is a similarly likely case but has escaped thorough experimental assessment due to interfering association/dissociation dynamics. Here, we use fast-MAS solid-state 15N R1ρ NMR relaxation dispersion aided by molecular-dynamics simulations to mechanistically assess the hierarchy of individual µs timescale motions arising from a crystal-crystal contact, in the absence of translational motion. In contrast to the monomer, where particular mutations entail isolated perturbations, specific intermolecular interactions couple the motional properties between distant residues in the same protein. The mechanistic insights obtained from this conceptual work may improve our understanding on how intramolecular allostery can be tuned by intermolecular interactions via assembly of dynamic networks from previously isolated elements.

20.
bioRxiv ; 2024 Aug 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39185159

ABSTRACT

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

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