A Multi-user 600 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer for Structural Biology

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has developed into a powerful means of determining the structure and motions of proteins and nucleic acids in solution. Such molecules form the machinery and blueprints of life. NMR is a powerful method for studying how these biomolecules recognize and interact with their molecular partners from the cell. NMR is also a crucial technique for investigating atomic-resolution details of how protein chains fold up into their 3-dimensional, functional shape. Research using this 600 MHz NMR system will emphasize determination of atomic-resolution 3D protein structures. Other work will include study of the motions and molecular interactions of these proteins and study of peptide and nucleic acid structures. The new 600 MHz system will be used to study cancer and arthritis progression, hearing in the inner ear, communication within cells, development and differentiation of plants, certain RNA-catalyzed reactions in protein synthesis, protein interactions with cell membranes, and protein stability. The state-of-the art 600 MHz NMR system features a 14.1 Tesla magnetic field that is actively shielded to minimize its space requirement. It features four channels for simultaneous radiofrequency excitation of four kinds of atomic nuclei, particularly the proton, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and deuterium widely important in biomolecules. To ensure clean spectra with few artifacts and to enable measurement of biomolecular diffusion, the system includes pulsed field gradients. Two probes triply tuned to proton, carbon, and nitrogen frequencies will enable characterization of proteins and nucleic acids. The small volume of one probe accommodates concentrated samples, while the large volume of the second probe accommodates samples that can only be studied in more dilute solution. The 600 MHz NMR spectrometer will be used by five Ph.D. students and five postdoctoral fellows in biomolecular NMR from four participating laboratories and three departments. Students with training in protein structure determination in solution are currently in demand, and this demand is expected to continue for many years. The 600 MHz system features improved resolution and 1.5-fold greater sensitivity than the 500 MHz spectrometer on campus, facilitating more difficult projects. This new spectrometer, in the campus-wide NMR facility at the University of Missouri-Columbia, will help structural biology contribute to the expansion of research in life sciences, with relevance ranging from medicine to agriculture.