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The structure of two protected amino acids, FMOC-l-leucine and FMOC-l-valine, and a dipeptide, N-acetyl-l-valyl-l-leucine (N-Ac-VL), were studied via one- and two-dimensional solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Utilizing (17)O magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR at multiple magnetic fields (17.6–35.2 T/750–1500 MHz for (1)H) the (17)O quadrupolar and chemical shift parameters were determined for the two oxygen sites of each FMOC-protected amino acids and the three distinct oxygen environments of the dipeptide. The one- and two-dimensional, (17)O, (15)N─(17)O, (13)C─(17)O, and (1)H─(17)O double-resonance correlation experiments performed on the uniformly (13)C,(15)N and 70% (17)O-labeled dipeptide prove the attainability of (17)O as a probe for structure studies of biological systems. (15)N─(17)O and (13)C─(17)O distances were measured via one-dimensional REAPDOR and ZF-TEDOR experimental buildup curves and determined to be within 15% of previously reported distances, thus demonstrating the use of (17)O NMR to quantitate interatomic distances in a fully labeled dipeptide. Through-space hydrogen bonding of N-Ac-VL was investigated by a two-dimensional (1)H-detected (17)O R(3)-R-INEPT experiment, furthering the importance of (17)O for studies of structure in biomolecular solids.

In DNP MAS NMR experiments at ~80–110 K, the structurally important −13CH3 and −15NH3+ signals in MAS spectra of biological samples disappear due to the interference of the molecular motions with the 1H decoupling. Here we investigate the effect of these dynamic processes on the NMR line shapes and signal intensities in several typical systems: (1) microcrystalline APG, (2) membrane protein bR, (3) amyloid fibrils PI3-SH3, (4) monomeric alanine-CD3, and (5) the protonated and deuterated dipeptide N-Ac-VL over 78–300 K. In APG, the three-site hopping of the Ala-Cβ peak disappears completely at 112 K, concomitant with the attenuation of CP signals from other 13C’s and 15N’s. Similarly, the 15N signal from Ala-NH3+ disappears at ~ 173 K, concurrent with the attenuation in CP experiments of other 15N’s as well as 13C’s. In bR and PI3-SH3, the methyl groups are attenuated at ~95 K, while all other 13C’s remain unaffected. However, both systems exhibit substantial losses of intensity at ~243 K. Finally, with spectra of Ala and N-Ac-VL, we show that it is possible to extract site specific dynamic data from the temperature dependence of the intensity losses. Furthermore, 2H labeling can assist with recovering the spectral intensity. Thus, our study provides insight into the dynamic behavior of biological systems over a wide range of temperatures, and serves as a guide to optimizing the sensitivity and resolution of structural data in low temperature DNP MAS NMR spectra.

We demonstrate a novel 3D NNC magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiment that generates (15)N-(15)N internuclear contacts in protein systems using an optimized (15)N-(15)N proton assisted recoupling (PAR) mixing period and a (13)C dimension for improved resolution. The optimized PAR condition permits the acquisition of high signal-to-noise 3D data that enables backbone chemical shift assignments using a strategy that is complementary to current schemes. The spectra can also provide distance constraints. The utility of the experiment is demonstrated on an M(0)Ab(1–42) fibril sample that yields high-quality data that is readily assigned and interpreted. The 3D NNC experiment therefore provides a powerful platform for solid-state protein studies and is broadly applicable to a variety of systems and experimental conditions.

Continuous-wave (CW) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is now established as a method of choice to enhance the sensitivity in a variety of NMR experiments. Nevertheless, there remains a need for the development of more efficient methods to transfer polarization from electrons to nuclei. Of particular interest are pulsed DNP methods because they enable a rapid and efficient polarization transfer that, in contrast with CW DNP methods, is not attenuated at high magnetic fields. Here we report nuclear spin orientation via electron spin-locking (NOVEL) experiments using the polarizing agent trityl OX063 in glycerol/water at a temperature of 80 K and a magnetic field of 0.34 T. (1)H NMR signal enhancements up to 430 are observed, and the buildup of the local polarization occurs in a few hundred nanoseconds. Thus, NOVEL can efficiently dynamically polarize (1)H atoms in a system that is of general interest to the solid-state DNP NMR community. This is a first, important step toward the general application of pulsed DNP at higher fields.

The catalytic activity of tin-containing zeolites, such as Sn-Beta, is critically dependent on the successful incorporation of the tin metal center into the zeolite framework. However, synchrotron-based techniques or solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) of samples enriched with (119)Sn isotopes are the only reliable methods to verify framework incorporation. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the use of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR for characterizing zeolites containing ~2 wt % of natural abundance Sn without the need for (119)Sn isotopic enrichment. The biradicals TOTAPOL, bTbK, bCTbK, and SPIROPOL functioned effectively as polarizing sources, and the solvent enabled proper transfer of spin polarization from the radical's unpaired electrons to the target nuclei. Using bCTbK led to an enhancement (ε) of 75, allowing the characterization of natural-abundance (119)Sn-Beta with excellent signal-to-noise ratios in24 h. Without DNP, no (119)Sn resonances were detected after 10 days of continuous analysis.

Protein sedimentation sans cryoprotection is a new approach to magic angle spinning (MAS) and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of proteins. It increases the sensitivity of the experiments by a factor of ∼4.5 in comparison to the conventional DNP sample preparation and circumvents intense background signals from the cryoprotectant. In this paper, we investigate sedimented samples and concentrated frozen solutions of natural abundance bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the absence of a glycerol-based cryoprotectant. We observe DNP signal enhancements of ε ∼ 66 at 140 GHz in a BSA pellet sedimented from an aqueous solution containing the biradical polarizing agent TOTAPOL and compare this with samples prepared using the conventional protocol (i.e., dissolution of BSA in a glycerol/water cryoprotecting mixture). The dependence of DNP parameters on the radical concentration points to the presence of an interaction between TOTAPOL and BSA, so much so that a frozen solution sans cryoprotectant still gives ε ∼ 50. We have studied the interaction of BSA with another biradical, SPIROPOL, that is more rigid than TOTAPOL and has been reported to give higher enhancements. SPIROPOL was also found to interact with BSA, and to give ε ∼ 26 close to its maximum achievable concentration. Under the same conditions, TOTAPOL gives ε ∼ 31, suggesting a lesser affinity of BSA for SPIROPOL with respect to TOTAPOL. Altogether, these results demonstrate that DNP is feasible in self-cryoprotecting samples.

Despite tremendous advances in recent years, solution NMR remains fundamentally restricted due to its inherent insensitivity. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) potentially offers significant improvements in this respect. The basic DNP strategy is to irradiate the EPR transitions of a stable radical and transfer this nonequilibrium polarization to the hydrogen spins of water, which will in turn transfer polarization to the hydrogens of the macromolecule. Unfortunately, these EPR transitions lie in the microwave range of the electromagnetic spectrum where bulk water absorbs strongly, often resulting in catastrophic heating. Furthermore, the residence times of water on the surface of the protein in bulk solution are generally too short for efficient transfer of polarization. Here we take advantage of the properties of solutions of encapsulated proteins dissolved in low viscosity solvents to implement DNP in liquids. Such samples are largely transparent to the microwave frequencies required and thereby avoid significant heating. Nitroxide radicals are introduced into the reverse micelle system in three ways: attached to the protein, embedded in the reverse micelle shell, and free in the aqueous core. Significant enhancements of the water resonance ranging up to ∼−93 at 0.35 T were observed. We also find that the hydration properties of encapsulated proteins allow for efficient polarization transfer from water to the protein. These and other observations suggest that merging reverse micelle encapsulation technology with DNP offers a route to a significant increase in the sensitivity of solution NMR spectroscopy of proteins and other biomolecules.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of amorphous and crystalline ortho-terphenyl (OTP) in the absence of glass forming agents is presented in order to gauge the feasibility of applying DNP to pharmaceutical solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and to study the effect of intermolecular structure, or lack thereof, on the DNP enhancement. By way of (1)H-(13)C cross-polarization, we obtained a DNP enhancement (ε) of 58 for 95% deuterated OTP in the amorphous state using the biradical bis-TEMPO terephthalate (bTtereph) and ε of 36 in the crystalline state. Measurements of the (1)H T1 and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments showed the crystallization process led to phase separation of the polarization agent, creating an inhomogeneous distribution of radicals within the sample. Consequently, the effective radical concentration was decreased in the bulk OTP phase, and long-range (1)H-(1)H spin diffusion was the main polarization propagation mechanism. Preliminary DNP experiments with the glass-forming anti-inflammation drug, indomethacin, showed promising results, and further studies are underway to prepare DNP samples using pharmaceutical techniques.

We report direct 13C dynamic nuclear polarization at 5 T under magic-angle spinning (MAS) at 82 K using a mixture of monoradicals with narrow EPR linewidths. We show the importance of optimizing both EPR linewidth and electron relaxation times by studying direct DNP of 13C using SA-BDPA and trityl radical, and achieve 13C enhancements above 600. This new approach may be best suited for dissolution DNP and for studies of 1H depleted biological and other nonprotonated solids.

The mixed trityl-TEMPO biradical TEMTriPol-1 provides excellent MAS NMR sensitivity with DNP while avoiding nuclear depolarization., Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has the potential to enhance the sensitivity of magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR by many orders of magnitude and therefore to revolutionize atomic resolution structural analysis. Currently, the most widely used approach to DNP for studies of chemical, material, and biological systems involves the cross-effect (CE) mechanism, which relies on biradicals as polarizing agents. However, at high magnetic fields (≥5 T), the best biradicals used for CE MAS-DNP are still far from optimal, primarily because of the nuclear depolarization effects they induce. In the presence of bisnitroxide biradicals, magic-angle rotation results in a reverse CE that can deplete the initial proton Boltzmann polarization by more than a factor of 2. In this paper we show that these depolarization losses can be avoided by using a polarizing agent composed of a narrow-line trityl radical tethered to a broad-line TEMPO. Consequently, we show that a biocompatible trityl-nitroxide biradical, TEMTriPol-1, provides the highest MAS NMR sensitivity at ≥10 T, and its relative efficiency increases with the magnetic field strength. We use numerical simulations to explain the absence of depolarization for TEMTriPol-1 and its high efficiency, paving the way for the next generation of polarizing agents for DNP. We demonstrate the superior sensitivity enhancement using TEMTriPol-1 by recording the first solid-state 2D 13C–13C correlation spectrum at natural isotopic abundance at a magnetic field of 18.8 T.

We investigate complexes of two paramagnetic metal ions Gd3+ and Mn2+ to serve as polarizing agents for solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of 1H, 13C, and 15N at magnetic fields of 5, 9.4, and 14.1 T. Both ions are half-integer high-spin systems with a zero-field splitting and therefore exhibit a broadening of the mS = −1/2 ↔ +1/2 central transition which scales inversely with the external field strength. We investigate experimentally the influence of the chelator molecule, strong hyperfine coupling to the metal nucleus, and deuteration of the bulk matrix on DNP properties. At small Gd-DOTA concentrations the narrow central transition allows us to polarize nuclei with small gyromagnetic ratio such as 13C and even 15N via the solid effect. We demonstrate that enhancements observed are limited by the available microwave power and that large enhancement factors of >100 (for 1H) and on the order of 1000 (for 13C) can be achieved in the saturation limit even at 80 K. At larger Gd(III) concentrations (≥10 mM) where dipolar couplings between two neighboring Gd3+ complexes become substantial a transition towards cross effect as dominating DNP mechanism is observed. Furthermore, the slow spin-diffusion between 13C and 15N, respectively, allows for temporally resolved observation of enhanced polarization spreading from nuclei close to the paramagnetic ion towards nuclei further removed. Subsequently, we present preliminary DNP experiments on ubiquitin by site-directed spin-labeling with Gd3+ chelator tags. The results hold promise towards applications of such paramagnetically labeled proteins for DNP applications in biophysical chemistry and/or structural biology., Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 18 (39), ISSN:1463-9084, ISSN:1463-9076

The structure and dynamics of the bound water in barium chlorate monohydrate were studied with (17)O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in samples that are stationary and spinning at the magic-angle in magnetic fields ranging from 14.1 to 21.1 T. (17)O NMR parameters of the water were determined, and the effects of torsional oscillations of the water molecule on the (17)O quadrupolar coupling constant (CQ) were delineated with variable temperature MAS NMR. With decreasing temperature and reduction of the librational motion, we observe an increase in the experimentally measured CQ explaining the discrepancy between experiments and predictions from density functional theory. In addition, at low temperatures and in the absence of (1)H decoupling, we observe a well-resolved (1)H-(17)O dipole splitting in the spectra, which provides information on the structure of the H2O molecule. The splitting arises because of the homogeneous nature of the coupling between the two (1)H-(17)O dipoles and the (1)H-(1)H dipole.

We describe the design and implementation of the instrumentation required to perform DNP-NMR at higher field strengths than previously demonstrated, and report the first magic-angle spinning (MAS) DNP-NMR experiments performed at ¹H/e⁻ frequencies of 700 MHz/460 GHz. The extension of DNP-NMR to 16.4 T has required the development of probe technology, cryogenics, gyrotrons, and microwave transmission lines. The probe contains a 460 GHz microwave channel, with corrugated waveguide, tapers, and miter-bends that couple microwave power to the sample. Experimental efficiency is increased by a cryogenic exchange system for 3.2 mm rotors within the 89 mm bore. Sample temperatures ⩽85 K, resulting in improved DNP enhancements, are achieved by a novel heat exchanger design, stainless steel and brass vacuum jacketed transfer lines, and a bronze probe dewar. In addition, the heat exchanger is preceded with a nitrogen drying and generation system in series with a pre-cooling refrigerator. This reduces liquid nitrogen usage from >700 l per day to 7 days) cryogenic spinning without detrimental frost or ice formation. Initial enhancements, ε = −40, and a strong microwave power dependence suggests the possibility for considerable improvement. Finally, two-dimensional spectra of a model system demonstrate that the higher field provides excellent resolution, even in a glassy, cryoprotecting matrix., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB003151), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002026), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001960), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001035), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001965), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB004866)

We described a versatile spectrometer designed for the study of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at low temperatures and high fields. The instrument functions both as an NMR spectrometer operating at 212 MHz ([superscript 1]H frequency) with DNP capabilities, and as a pulsed-EPR operating at 140 GHz. A coiled TE[subscript 011] resonator acts as both an NMR coil and microwave resonator, and a double balanced ([superscript 1]H, [superscript 13]C) radio frequency circuit greatly stabilizes the NMR performance. A new 140 GHz microwave bridge has also been developed, which utilizes a four-phase network and ELDOR channel at 8.75 GHz, that is then multiplied and mixed to obtain 140 GHz microwave pulses with an output power of 120 mW. Nutation frequencies obtained are as follows: 6 MHz on S = 1/2 electron spins, 100 kHz on [superscript 1]H, and 50 kHz on [superscript 13]C. We demonstrate basic EPR, ELDOR, ENDOR, and DNP experiments here. Our solid effect DNP results demonstrate an enhancement of 144 and sensitivity gain of 310 using OX063 trityl at 80 K and an enhancement of 157 and maximum sensitivity gain of 234 using Gd-DOTA at 20 K, which is significantly better performance than previously reported at high fields (⩾3 T)., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002026), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001965), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB004866), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Postdoctoral Fellowship)

The synthesis of air-stable, highly water-soluble organic radicals containing a 1,3-bis(diphenylene)-2-phenylallyl (BDPA) core is reported. A sulfonated derivative, SA-BDPA, retains the narrow electron paramagnetic resonance linewidth (

We describe the design and implementation of a novel tunable 250 GHz gyrotron oscillator with >10 W output power over most of a 3 GHz band and >35 W peak power. The tuning bandwidth and power are sufficient to generate a >1 MHz nutation frequency across the entire nitroxide EPR lineshape for cross effect DNP, as well as to excite solid effect transitions utilizing other radicals, without the need for sweeping the NMR magnetic field. Substantially improved tunability is achieved by implementing a long (23 mm) interaction cavity that can excite higher order axial modes by changing either the magnetic field of the gyrotron or the cathode potential. This interaction cavity excites the rotating TE[subscript 5,2,q] mode, and an internal mode converter outputs a high-quality microwave beam with >94% Gaussian content. The gyrotron was integrated into a DNP spectrometer, resulting in a measured DNP enhancement of 54 on the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB003151), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB002026), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB001960), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB001035), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB001965), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB004866), National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship

The paper describes two-dimensional solid state NMR experiments that use powdered dephased anti-phase coherence (γ preparation) to encode chemical shifts in the indirect dimension. Both components of this chemical shift encoded gamma-prepared states can be refocused into inphase coherence by a recoupling element. This helps to achieve sensitivity enhancement in 2D NMR experiments by quadrature detection. The powder dependence of the gamma-prepared states allows for manipulating them by suitable insertion of delays in the recoupling periods. This helps to design experiments that suppress diagonal peaks in 2D spectra, leading to improved resolution. We describe some new phase modulated heteronuclear and homonuclear recoupling pulse sequences that simplify the implementation of the described experiments based on γ prepared states. Recoupling in the heteronuclear spin system is achieved by matching the difference in the amplitude of the sine/cosine modulated phase on the two rf-channels to the spinning frequency while maintaining the same power on the two rf-channels.

The design and the operation of a frequency-tunable continuous-wave (CW) 330-GHz gyrotron oscillator operating at the second harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency are reported. The gyrotron has generated 18 W of power from a 10.1-kV 190-mA electron beam working in a TE-4,3 cylindrical mode, corresponding to an efficiency of 0.9%. The measured start oscillation current over a range of magnetic field values is in good agreement with theoretical start currents obtained from linear theory for successive high-order axial modes TE-4,3,q, where q = 1-6. Moreover, the observed frequency range in the start current measurement is in reasonable agreement with the frequency range obtained from numerical simulations. The minimum start current was measured to be 33 mA. A continuous tuning range of 1.2 GHz was experimentally observed via a combination of magnetic, voltage, and thermal tuning. The gyrotron output power and frequency stabilities were assessed to be ±0.4% and ±3 ppm, respectively, during a 110-h uninterrupted CW run. Evaluation of the gyrotron output microwave beam pattern using a pyroelectric camera indicated a Gaussian-like mode content of 92% with an ellipticity of 28%. The gyrotron will be used for 500-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance experiments with sensitivity enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization.

A new polarizing agent with superior performance in dynamic nuclear polarization experiments is introduced, and utilizes two TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) moieties connected through a rigid spiro tether (see structure). The observed NMR signal intensities were enhanced by a factor of 1.4 compared to those of TOTAPOL, a previously described TEMPO-based biradical with a flexible tether., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB002026), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB009866), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001965), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (EB001035), Sixth Framework Programme (European Commission) (EU-Design Study Bio-DNP), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (postdoctoral fellowship), Naito Foundation

We show how high-resolution magic angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy can be used to characterize 13C-labeled saccharides that have been prepared using solid-phase synthesis techniques while they are still bound to a solid-support resin. With the use of 13C-labeled glucose as the starting material, we have successfully synthesized mono-, di- and trisaccharides with uniform 13C labeling of the saccharide rings. Using these materials, we have been able to assign the 13C and 1H spectra and to characterize various impurities on the resin beads.

We describe three-dimensional magic-angle-spinning NMR experiments for the simultaneous measurement of multiple carbon-nitrogen distances in uniformly (13)C,(15)N-labeled solids. The approaches employ transferred echo double resonance (TEDOR) for (13)C-(15)N coherence transfer and (15)N and (13)C frequency labeling for site-specific resolution, and build on several previous 3D TEDOR techniques. The novel feature of the 3D TEDOR pulse sequences presented here is that they are specifically designed to circumvent the detrimental effects of homonuclear (13)C-(13)C J-couplings on the measurement of weak (13)C-(15)N dipolar couplings. In particular, homonuclear J-couplings lead to two undesirable effects: (i) they generate anti-phase and multiple-quantum (MQ) spin coherences, which lead to spurious cross-peaks and phase-twisted lines in the 2D (15)N-(13)C correlation spectra, and thus degrade the spectral resolution and prohibit the extraction of reliable cross-peak intensities, and (ii) they significantly reduce cross-peak intensities for strongly J-coupled (13)C sites (e.g., CO and C(alpha)). The first experiment employs z-filter periods to suppress the anti-phase and MQ coherences and generates 2D spectra with purely absorptive peaks for all TEDOR mixing times. The second approach uses band-selective (13)C pulses to refocus J-couplings between (13)C spins within the selective pulse bandwidth and (13)C spins outside the bandwidth. The internuclear distances are extracted by using a simple analytical model, which accounts explicitly for multiple spin-spin couplings contributing to cross-peak buildup. The experiments are demonstrated in two U-(13)C,(15)N-labeled peptides, N-acetyl-L-Val-L-Leu (N-ac-VL) and N-formyl-L-Met-L-Leu-L-Phe (N-f-MLF), where 20 and 26 (13)C-(15)N distances up to approximately 5-6 A were measured, respectively. Of the measured distances, 10 in N-ac-VL and 13 in N-f-MLF are greater than 3 A and provide valuable structural constraints.

In this Communication, we demonstrate the use of deuteration together with back substitution of exchangeable protons as a means of attenuating the strong 1H-1H couplings that broaden 1H magic angle spinning (MAS) spectra of solids. The approach facilitates 15N-1H correlation experiments as well as experiments for the measurement of 1H-1H distances. The distance measurement relies on the excellent resolution in the 1H MAS spectrum and homonuclear double quantum recoupling techniques. The 1H-1H dipolar recoupling can be analyzed in an analytical fashion by fitting the data to a 2- or 3-spin system. The experiments are performed on a sample of the dipeptide N-Ac-Val-Leu-OH, which was synthesized from uniformly [2H, 15N] labeled materials and back-exchanged in H2O.

Strategies are discussed for resolving and assigning peptide backbone and side chain resonances in uniformly 13C,15N-labeled solid peptides. Methods for 2D 13C−13C, 15N−(13C)−13C, and 3D 15N−13C−13C chemical shift correlation spectroscopy are demonstrated in the chemotactic tripeptide N-formyl-[U-13C,15N]-Met-Leu-Phe-OH (MLF). Band-selective heteronuclear double-cross polarization (DCP) and γ-encoded homonuclear double-quantum mixing provide large improvements in sensitivity relative to previously published methods. Directional transfers from amide 15N to 13C‘ or 13Cα resonances provide two- to 3-fold improvements in signal intensity on the observed 13C spin, in comparison to broadband DCP. Similarly, homonuclear 13C−13C transfer is enhanced by use of the rotating frame sequence SPC-5; backbone-to-side chain polarization transfers are achieved with especially high efficiency. Furthermore, the double-quantum nature of the homonuclear transfer permits straightforward classification of C‘, Cα, Cβ, and Cγ sig...

A proton dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR signal enhancement (epsilon) close to thermal equilibrium, epsilon = 0.89, has been obtained at high field (B(0) = 5 T, nu(epr) = 139.5 GHz) using 15 mM trityl radical in a 40:60 water/glycerol frozen solution at 11 K. The electron-nuclear polarization transfer is performed in the nuclear rotating frame with microwave irradiation during a nuclear spin-lock pulse. The growth of the signal enhancement is governed by the rotating frame nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time (T(1rho)), which is four orders of magnitude shorter than the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time (T(1n)). Due to the rapid polarization transfer in the nuclear rotating frame the experiment can be recycled at a rate of 1/T(1rho) and is not limited by the much slower lab frame nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T(1n)). The increased repetition rate allowed in the nuclear rotating frame provides an effective enhancement per unit time(1/2) of epsilon(t) = 197. The nuclear rotating frame-DNP experiment does not require high microwave power; significant signal enhancements were obtained with a low-power (20 mW) Gunn diode microwave source and no microwave resonant structure. The symmetric trityl radical used as the polarization source is water-soluble and has a narrow EPR linewidth of 10 G at 139.5 GHz making it an ideal polarization source for high-field DNP/NMR studies of biological systems.

A technique for amplifying the apparent magnitudes of 13 C‐ 1 H v r /2 pud d/ 3, where dd is the dipolar coupling strength, the and 15 N‐ 1 H dipolar interactions in magic-angle spinning experi- dipolar spectrum is dominated by an uninformative cenments is described. By inserting rotor-synchronized 1807 pulses in terband. For a one-bond N ‐ H dipolar coupling measured the evolution period of a 2D dipolar-chemical shift experiment, with MREV-8 homonuclear decoupling, dd E 4.5 kHz and heteronuclear dipolar couplings are doubled or quadrupled rela- the centerband dominates for spinning speeds as low as vr / tive to the spinning speed. The increased number of dipolar side- 2pE 1.5 kHz. While low spinning speeds are desirable for bands is desirable for retaining structural information in the indi- extracting structural information, the necessity of resolving rectly detected dipolar dimension while resolving inequivalent sites different chemical moieties through isotropic chemical shifts in the isotropic chemical shift dimension at relatively high spinresults in an opposing constraint. Higher spinning speeds ning speeds. This coupling amplification method is incorporated into an experiment that determines the peptide torsion angle f average the chemical shift anisotropy (dCSA) more comthrough the relative orientation of the C a ‐H a and N‐H N bonds. pletely and thus yield better-resolved spectra. This conflict It is shown both experimentally and theoretically that the angular is exacerbated at higher magnetic field strengths, since shift resolution of the measurement is enhanced significantly by the anisotropies scale linearly with the field strength while the selective doubling of the N‐H N coupling. q 1997 Academic Press dipolar couplings are field-independent. Thus, the desirable

High-resolution solid state 17 O NMR spectra of 17 O-enriched compounds were observed with multiple-quantum magic-angle-spinning (MQMAS) experiments. The resolution of the 17 O MQMAS spectra is approximately 30- to 150-fold higher than that found in conventional 17 O MAS spectra, making it possible to detect crystallographically distinct oxygen sites. It is shown that 17 O MQMAS studies are feasible for systems with 17 O quadrupole coupling constants up to 7 MHz, provided that sufficiently high radio-frequency field strengths (> 120 kHz and spinning speeds (∼ 20 kHz) can be achieved.

We describe 3D solid state MAS NMR experiments which separate chemical shifts in one 15N and two 13C dimensions. The polarization transfer from 1H to 15N, and subsequently to 13C, is accomplished with recently developed techniques which overcome the shortcomings of constant amplitude Hartmann−Hahn cross polarization. Homonuclear (13C−13C) recoupling is performed with the MELODRAMA sequence. In the 2D 13C−13C spectra of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), successive MELODRAMA transfers propagate 13C magnetization around the five 13C's of the ribose ring, and the cross-peaks from successive transfer steps exhibit the negative/positive/negative... pattern expected from the double quantum polarization transfer process. The 3D 15N−13C−13C spectrum of uniformly-15N,13C-labeled histidine consists of 13C−13C planes separated by 15N chemical shifts. The 2D planes are asymmetric since in many cases the polarization giving rise to each cross-peak originates on only one nuclear spin of the coupled pair. 3D 15N−13C−13C spe...

We report the high-frequency (139.5 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of the tyrosyl radical of photosystem II. A rhombic powder pattern with principal g values g1 = 2.007 82, g2 = 2.004 50, and g3 = 2.002 32 is observed. The well-defined turning points and the value of the largest principal g value are indicative of ordered hydrogen bonding to the tyrosyl phenyl oxygen. Hyperfine structure is resolved on all three turning points. Proton hyperfine couplings obtained from the simulation of the 139.5 GHz EPR spectrum are in good agreement with X-band electron spin echo−electron nuclear double resonance studies. The high-frequency EPR spectrum was acquired under conditions of saturation in which the dispersion signal is detected. Proper replication of the high-frequency EPR spectral features is only achieved in simulations which account for the line shapes characteristic of saturated dispersion signals. Comparison of the spectrum with spectra of non-hydrogen bonded tyrosyl radicals indicate...

Solid-state deuterium NMR measurements were used to characterize the flipping motion of the water molecule in barium chlorate monohydrate, Ba(ClO3)2·2H2O. In particular, temperature-dependent quadrupole echo line shapes, their τ dependence and spectral intensities, and the anisotropy of the spin−lattice relaxation observed in inversion recovery experiments permit measurement of the 2-fold flipping rates. These were studied as a function of temperature and yield an activation energy Ea = 30 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor A0 = 1.5 × 1014, which are typical for molecular motion constrained by hydrogen bonds of moderate strength. A discussion of experimental considerations is also presented.

Dynamic nuclear polarization of 17O was studied using four different polarizing agents – the biradical TOTAPOL, and the monoradicals trityl and SA-BDPA, as well as a mixture of the latter two. Field profiles, DNP mechanisms and enhancements were measured to better understand and optimize directly polarizing this low-gamma quadrupolar nucleus using both mono- and bi-radical polarizing agents. Enhancements were recorded < 88 K and were > 100 using the trityl (OX063) radical and < 10 with the other polarizing agents. The > 10,000 fold savings in acquisition time enabled a series of biologically relevant small molecules to be studied with small sample sizes and the measurement of various quadrupolar parameters. The results are discussed with comparison to room temperature studies and GIPAW quantum chemical calculations. These experimental results illustrate the strength of high field DNP and the importance of radical selection for studying low-gamma nuclei.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at 139.5 GHz has been used to study p21 ras complexed with Mn(II) and guanosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imidotriphosphate), an analog of GTP. The p21 sample studied was selectively labeled with [17O gamma]threonine to a final enrichment of 30%. A Mn(II)-17O hyperfine interaction was observed, but the value of the coupling constant, 0.11 +/- 0.04 mT, is the smallest such value yet reported. Ab initio calculations indicate that this value is consistent with direct coordination of the threonine hydroxyl group and provide an estimate for the Mn(II)-17O bond length of 2.7 A. The measured hyperfine coupling constant and associated bond length starkly contrast with typical values for Mn(II)-17O coordination complexes, namely, approximately 0.25 mT and approximately 2.2 A, respectively. This contrast underscores the peculiar weakness of this Mn(II)-O interaction in p21 and persuasively argues that the nucleotide-induced conformational change, which is known to encompass the region of p21 involving Thr35, is not driven by Mn(II) coordination of the Thr35 hydroxyl group.

We report the results of Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) 13C and static 2H NMR studies of the dynamics of the methyl groups coordinated to tungsten in [WCp*Me4][PF6] (Cp* = η5-C5Me5). The temperature-dependent broadening of the axial methyl 13C line can be ascribed to interference between 1H decoupling and methyl motion when the motional rate and decoupling nutation frequency are comparable. This proposal is consistent with the absence of broadening in the 2H labeled compound and the motional rate constants inferred from 2H NMR lineshape and T1 studies, which range from 107 s-1 at 25 °C to 103 s-1 at −125 °C. The measured barrier to axial methyl hopping (26 kJ/mol) is among the highest reported to date. An X-ray crystal study of [W(η5-C5Me4Et)Me4][PF6] reveals no evidence (in terms of the core geometry) for an agostic interaction in either the axial methyl group or the equatorial methyl groups.

As a molecular switch, the ras protein p21 undergoes structural changes that couple recognition sites on the protein surface to the guanine nucleotide-divalent metal ion binding site. X-ray crystallographic studies of p21 suggest that coordination between threonine-35 and the divalent metal ion plays an important role in these conformational changes. Recent ESEEM studies of p21 in solution, however, place threonine-35 more distant from the metal and were interpreted as weak or indirect coordination of this residue. We report high frequency (139.5 GHz) EPR spectroscopy of p21.Mn(II) complexes of two guanine nucleotides that probes the link between threonine-35 and the divalent metal ion. By analysis of high-frequency EPR spectra, we determine the number of water molecules in the first coordination sphere of the manganous ion to be four in p21.Mn(II).GDP, consistent with prior low-frequency EPR and X-ray crystallographic studies. In the complex of p21 with a GTP analog, p21.Mn(II).GMPPNP, we determine the hydration number to be 2, also consistent with crystal structures. This result rules out indirect coordination of threonine-35 in the solution structure of p21.Mn(II).GMPPNP, and implicates direct, weak coordination of this residue as suggested by Halkides et al. [(1994) Biochemistry 33,4019]. The 17O hyperfine coupling constant of H2(17)O is determined as 0.25 mT in the GDP from and 0.28 mT in the GTP form. These values are similar to reported values for 17O-enriched aquo ligands and some phosphato ligands in Mn(II) complexes. The high magnetic field strength (4.9 T) employed in these 139.5 GHz EPR measurements leads to a narrowing of the Mn(II) EPR lines that facilitates the determination of 17O hyperfine interactions.

We describe a new approach for observation of multiple-quantum (MQ) NMR spectra of S = 3/2 nuclei with magic-angle spinning (MAS). The new method employs the Rotation-Induced Adiabatic Coherence Transfer (RIACT) that occurs between triple-quantum (3Q) and central-transition (1Q) coherences in S = 3/2 systems. In contrast to currently available coherence-transfer techniques, RIACT is relatively insensitive to the magnitude of the quadrupole interaction for e2qQ/h ≤ 4 MHz for both 3Q excitation and 3Q-to-1Q conversion. Thus, RIACT provides a means of extracting quantitative information about site populations from isotropic MQ NMR spectra. We illustrate the utility of the approach with 23Na (S = 3/2) MQ NMR spectra of a series of sodium salts exhibiting crystallographically distinct sites. The spectra provide quantitative measurements of quadrupolar parameters, chemical shifts, and relative site populations for each of the crystallographically distinct sodium sites.

Using the 480 kDa iron-storage protein complex, apoferritin (ApoF), as an example, we demonstrate that sizable dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhancements can be obtained on sedimented protein samples. In sedimented solute DNP (SedDNP), the biradical polarizing agent is co-sedimented with the protein, but in the absence of a glass-forming agent. We observe DNP enhancement factors e > 40 at a magnetic field of 5 T and temperatures below 90 K, indicating that the protein sediment state is “glassy” and suitable to disperse the biradical polarizing agent upon freezing. In contrast, frozen aqueous solutions of ApoF yield e ≈ 2. Results of SedDNP are compared to those obtained from samples prepared using the traditional glass-forming agent glycerol. Collectively, these and results from previous investigations suggest that the sedimented state can be functionally described as a “microcrystalline glass” and in addition provide a new approach for preparation of samples for DNP experiments.

A high-frequency dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)/electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer operating at 211 MHz for1H and 140 GHz forg= 2 paramagnetic centers (5 T static field) is described. The salient feature of the instrument is a cyclotron-resonance maser (gyrotron) which generates high-frequency, high-power microwave radiation. This gyrotron, which under conventional operation produces millisecond pulses at kilowatt powers, has been adapted to operate at ∼100 W for 1 to 20 s pulses and in the continuous wave mode at the 10 W power level. Experiments combining DNP with magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance were performed on samples consisting of 2% by weight of the free radical BDPA doped into polystyrene. Room-temperature DNP enhancement factors of 10 for1H and 40 for13C were obtained in the NMR-MAS spectra. Static DNP NMR has also been performed on samples containing nitroxides dissolved in water:glycerol solvent mixtures. Enhancements of approximately 200 have been obtained for low-temperature (14 K)1H NMR. A pulsed/CW EPR spectrometer operating at 140 GHz has been developed in conjunction with the DNP spectrometer. Microwave sources include Gunn-diode oscillators which provide low-power (20 mW) radiation, and the gyrotron, which has been used to deliver higher power levels in pulsed experiments. Results using this spectrometer are presented for continuous-wave and echo-detected EPR, electron spin-echo-envelope modulation (ESEEM), and Fourier-transform EPR.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) transfers the large polarization of unpaired electrons to nuclei and thus significantly enhances the signal strength in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. High frequency/field (140 GHz/5 T) DNP has been implemented in solid state NMR experiments using a nitroxide radical as the paramagnetic polarizing agent in a water:glycerol frozen solution. The 1H and 13C NMR signal strengths of both the solvent and an amino acid solute have been enhanced by a factor of 185, which represents a reduction of ≳102 in sample size requirements or ≳104 in signal acquisition time.

Using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)/nuclear magnetic resonance instrumentation that utilizes a microwave cavity and a balanced rf circuit, we observe a solid effect DNP enhancement of 94 at 5 T and 80 K using trityl radical as the polarizing agent. Because the buildup rate of the solid effect increases with microwave field strength, we obtain a sensitivity gain of 128. The data suggest that higher microwave field strengths would lead to further improvements in sensitivity. In addition, the observation of microwave field dependent enhancements permits us to draw conclusions about the path that polarization takes during the DNP process. By measuring the time constant for the polarization buildup and enhancement as a function of the microwave field strength, we are able to compare models of polarization transfer, and show that the major contribution to the bulk polarization arises via direct transfer from electrons, rather than transferring first to nearby nuclei and then transferring to bulk nuclei in a slow diffusion step. In addition, the model predicts that nuclei near the electron receive polarization that can relax, decrease the electron polarization, and attenuate the DNP enhancement. The magnitude of this effect depends on the number of near nuclei participating in the polarization transfer, hence the size of the diffusion barrier, their T(1), and the transfer rate. Approaches to optimizing the DNP enhancement are discussed.

We report the dynamic nuclear polarization of (1)H spins in magic-angle-spinning spectra recorded at 5 T and 84 K via the solid effect using Mn(2+) and Gd(3+) complexes as polarizing agents. We show that the magnitude of the enhancements can be directly related to the effective line width of the central (m(S) = -1/2 → +1/2) EPR transition. Using a Gd(3+) complex with a narrow central transition EPR line width of 29 MHz, we observed a maximum enhancement of ∼13, which is comparable to previous results on the narrow-line-width trityl radical.

A detailed study on the structure, dynamics, and thermodynamic behavior of phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (PC/CHOL) mixtures was undertaken using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. DSC thermograms of mixtures of cholesterol (CHOL) with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), 1,2-distearoyl-sn-phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), and 1,2-diarachidoyl-sn-phosphatidylcholine (DAPC) showed a broadening of the first-order gel-->liquid crystalline transition and a decrease in the transition enthalpy, indicating a gradual loss of cooperativity for high CHOL concentrations. DPPC and DSPC were labeled with 13C at the carbonyl group of the sn-2 chain and 2H was introduced into the middle of the sn-2 chain at the 6- and 12-position for DPPC and DSPC, respectively. The 13C and 2H NMR spectra of each labeled lipid were studied as a function of temperature and CHOL concentration. The residual quadrupole splitting in the 2H NMR spectra, delta nu Q perpendicular, was analyzed as a function of temperature and composition. For CHOL concentrations less than 30 mol %, a precipitous change in delta nu Q perpendicular occurs near the chain melting temperature of the phospholipid. Further increases in CHOL concentration broaden the transition and shift the midpoint to higher temperature, indicating the presence of a new phase at higher CHOL contents. Moreover, at a given temperature, delta nu Q perpendicular increases with increasing cholesterol content, which indicates a more ordered structure. The 13C NMR spectra in the gel state consisted of a superposition of two components which can be attributed to both gel-like and fluid phospholipid domains in the bilayer. This two-component spectrum can be simulated quantitatively with a two-parameter chemical exchange model, which permits the fraction of each form and the exchange rate to be determined as a function of temperature and composition. At high CHOL contents the line width of the fluid component broadens, suggesting an increase in the exchange rate between the domains. These results were interpreted in terms of a temperature composition diagram with one region L beta', two regions LGI and LGII, and one liquid crystalline region L alpha, with LG denoting "liquid-gel" type phases. Liquid-gel phases correspond to phases with increased order in the hydrocarbon chains (in comparison to that of the pure PC bilayer in the L alpha phase) combined with fast limit axial diffusion that averages the 13C NMR spectrum to a "fluidlike" line.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The nuclear dipole-dipole coupling is a strong function of internuclear distance, and can therefore be used as a sensitive probe of local molecular structure. In most cases, however, the simultaneous presence of anisotropic chemical shielding and multiple dipolar interactions prevents isolation of the dipole coupling between individual spin pairs. Under these circumstances, it is customary to improve spectral resolution by employing magic angle spinning (MAS) which preserves the isotropic part of the chemical shift interaction but partially or fully averages the desired dipolar interactions. This article reviews NMR methods designed to selectively restore and measure dipolar couplings between like (homonuclear) spins and unlike (heteronuclear) spins in rotating solids. Applications of these methods - rotational resonance (R 2 ), rotational-echo double resonance (REDOR), trnsferred-echo double resonance (TEDOR), dipolar recovery at the magic angle (DRAMA), simple excitation for the dephasing of rotational-echo amplitudes (SEDRA), and rf-driven dipolar recoupling (RFDR) - to investigate the structure of biomolecules are presented.

We report high-field continuous wave EPR spectra of P700+. in preparations obtained from deuterated cyanobacteria (Synechococcus lividus). Measurements were performed with photosystem I (PS-I) preparations, whole cells from cyanobacteria grown in 2H2O, and photosystem II (PS-II) preparations, as well as with protonated PS-I preparations. Because of the significantly improved resolution of our 140-GHz spectrometer (as compared with X- or Q-band EPR) the principal values of the g-tensor of the primary donor P700+. could be resolved and measured with high accuracy as g11 = 2.00304, g22 = 2.00262, and g33 = 2.00232. Other signals arising from Mn2+ and a dark signal from PS-II at g approximately 2.00266 are distinguished from the P700+. g-tensor powder pattern. The measured g values are compared with those of several bacterial reaction center donors.

NMR measurements of 125 Te and 113 Cd have been performed on a series of samples of Cd 1-x Mn x Te (x=0.01, 0.015, 0.02, 0.029, 0.055). The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates of the two nuclei are enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared to the relaxation rates of the same nuclei in the non-magnetic II-VI semiconductor alloys. Well-resolved 113 Cd and 125 Te spectra were obtained using the magic-angle-spinning technique. The line shifts are temperature dependent and follow the Curie-Weiss law, indicating that the predominant interaction responsible for the NMR behavior is the transfer hyperfine interaction of the Mn 2+ ion with the Cd or Te nuclei

A novel two-dimensional magic-angle-spinning NMR experiment for monitoring exchange of Zeeman order between homonuclear dipolar-coupled spins at rotational resonance is described. It is demonstrated that Fourier analysis of the magnetization-transfer trajectories leads to characteric powder lineshapes from which information on the dipolar-coupling and chemical-shielding tensors can be extracted. Under certain circumstances the dipolar interaction (and thereby the internuclear distance) can be estimated directly by visual inspection of the powder patterns. Extension of the mixing sequence to include rapid switching of the spinning speed to an off-rotational resonance condition permits detection of high-resolution signals during the sampling period. Various aspects of the experiment are described theoretically and demonstrated experimentally with spectra of 13 C- 13 C spin pairs in zinc acetate and glycine.

We present a calculation of the microwave field distribution in a magic angle spinning (MAS) probe utilized in dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) experiments. The microwave magnetic field (B[subscript 1S]) profile was obtained from simulations performed with the High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) software suite, using a model that includes the launching antenna, the outer Kel-F stator housing coated with Ag, the RF coil, and the 4 mm diameter sapphire rotor containing the sample. The predicted average B[subscript 1S] field is 13 μT/W[superscript 1/2], where S denotes the electron spin. For a routinely achievable input power of 5 W the corresponding value is γ[subscript S]B[subscript 1S] = 0.84 MHz. The calculations provide insights into the coupling of the microwave power to the sample, including reflections from the RF coil and diffraction of the power transmitted through the coil. The variation of enhancement with rotor wall thickness was also successfully simulated. A second, simplified calculation was performed using a single pass model based on Gaussian beam propagation and Fresnel diffraction. This model provided additional physical insight and was in good agreement with the full HFSS simulation. These calculations indicate approaches to increasing the coupling of the microwave power to the sample, including the use of a converging lens and fine adjustment of the spacing of the windings of the RF coil. The present results should prove useful in optimizing the coupling of microwave power to the sample in future DNP experiments. Finally, the results of the simulation were used to predict the cross effect DNP enhancement (ϵ) vs. ω[subscript 1S]/(2π) for a sample of [superscript 13]C-urea dissolved in a 60:40 glycerol/water mixture containing the polarizing agent TOTAPOL; very good agreement was obtained between theory and experiment., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB003151), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB002026), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB001960), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB001035), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB004866), National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship

International audience; We have investigated the properties of a series of dinitroxides as polarizing agents for SS NMR/DNP applications. Our results clearly establish that an orthogonal relative orientation of electron g tensors is a crucial requirement to obtain high enhancement DNP factors. Moreover, the ratio of the proton Larmor frequency over the e(-)-e(-) dipolar coupling (omega(H)/omega(D)) influences the efficiency of the cross effect (CE) mechanism, thus the \textless Ree \textgreater distance between the unpaired electrons must be adapted to omega(H).

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) experiments transfer polarization from electron spins to nuclear spins with microwave irradiation of the electron spins for enhanced sensitivity in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Design and testing of a spectrometer for magic angle spinning (MAS) DNP experiments at 263 GHz microwave frequency, 400 MHz 1H frequency is described. Microwaves are generated by a novel continuous-wave gyrotron, transmitted to the NMR probe via a transmission line, and irradiated on a 3.2 mm rotor for MAS DNP experiments. DNP signal enhancements of up to 80 have been measured at 95 K on urea and proline in water–glycerol with the biradical polarizing agent TOTAPOL. We characterize the experimental parameters affecting the DNP efficiency: the magnetic field dependence, temperature dependence and polarization build-up times, microwave power dependence, sample heating effects, and spinning frequency dependence of the DNP signal enhancement. Stable system operation, including DNP performance, is also demonstrated over a 36 h period., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH grant EB-002804), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH grant EB-002026)

A two-dimensional homonuclear correlation experiment for magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy of polycrystalline solids is described. The approach involves application of a multiple pulse mixing period that scales chemical shifts to zero, thereby removing the barrier to spin exchange among interacting nuclei. Transfer of spin coherence is achieved by a transverse mixing sequence in which eight π pulses, πx-πx-πy-πy-π−y-π−y-π−x-π−x, are applied per rotor period. Spectra of triply-labeled 1,2,3-13C3-D,L-alanine are presented, which demonstrate correlations among all three carbon spins.