Abstract
We present a computational method for finding optimal labeling patterns for the backbone assignment of membrane proteins and other large proteins that cannot be assigned by conventional strategies. Following the approach of Kainosho and Tsuji (Biochemistry 21:6273–6279 (1982)), types of amino acids are labeled with 13C or/and 15N such that cross peaks between 13CO(i – 1) and 15NH(i) result only for pairs of sequentially adjacent amino acids of which the first is labeled with 13C and the second with 15N. In this way, unambiguous sequence-specific assignments can be obtained for unique pairs of amino acids that occur exactly once in the sequence of the protein. To be practical, it is crucial to limit the number of differently labeled protein samples that have to be prepared while obtaining an optimal extent of labeled unique amino acid pairs. Our computer algorithm UPLABEL for optimal unique pair labeling, implemented in the program CYANA and in a standalone program, and also available through a web portal, uses combinatorial optimization to find for a given amino acid sequence labeling patterns that maximize the number of unique pair assignments with a minimal number of differently labeled protein samples. Various auxiliary conditions, including labeled amino acid availability and price, previously known partial assignments, and sequence regions of particular interest can be taken into account when determining optimal amino acid type-specific labeling patterns. The method is illustrated for the assignment of the human G-protein coupled receptor bradykinin B2 (B2R) and applied as a starting point for the backbone assignment of the membrane protein proteorhodopsin.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ausiello G, Datri A, Protasi M (1980) Structure preserving reductions among convex optimization problems. J Comput Syst Sci 21:136–153
Busche AE, Aranko AS, Talebzadeh-Farooji M, Bernhard F, Dötsch V, Iwai H (2009) Segmental isotopic labeling of a central domain in a multidomain protein by protein trans-splicing using only one robust DnaE intein. Angew Chem 48:6128–6131
Castellani F, van Rossum B, Diehl A, Schubert M, Rehbein K, Oschkinat H (2002) Structure of a protein determined by solid-state magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy. Nature 420:98–102
Etzkorn M, Martell S, Andronesi OC, Seidel K, Engelhard M, Baldus M (2007) Secondary structure, dynamics, and topology of a seven-helix receptor in native membranes, studied by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Edit 46:459–462
Franks WT, Wylie BJ, Schmidt HLF, Nieuwkoop AJ, Mayrhofer RM, Shah GJ, Graesser DT, Rienstra CM (2008) Dipole tensor-based atomic-resolution structure determination of a nanocrystalline protein by solid-state NMR. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:4621–4626
Güntert P (1997) Calculating protein structures from NMR data. Meth Mol Biol 60:157–194
Higman VA, Flinders J, Hiller M, Jehle S, Markovic S, Fiedler S, van Rossum BJ, Oschkinat H (2009) Assigning large proteins in the solid state: a MAS NMR resonance assignment strategy using selectively and extensively 13C-labelled proteins. J Biomol NMR 44:245–260
Hong M (1999) Determination of multiple ϕ-torsion angles in proteins by selective and extensive 13C labeling and two-dimensional solid-state NMR. J Magn Reson 139:389–401
Kainosho M, Güntert P (2009) SAIL: stereo-array isotope labeling. Q Rev Biophys 42:247–300
Kainosho M, Tsuji T (1982) Assignment of the three methionyl carbonyl carbon resonances in Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor by a carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 double-labeling technique. A new strategy for structural studies of proteins in solution. Biochemistry 21:6273–6279
Kainosho M, Torizawa T, Iwashita Y, Terauchi T, Ono AM, Güntert P (2006) Optimal isotope labelling for NMR protein structure determinations. Nature 440:52–57
Lopez JJ, Shukla AK, Reinhart C, Schwalbe H, Michel H, Glaubitz C (2008) The structure of the neuropeptide bradykinin bound to the human G-protein coupled receptor bradykinin B2 as determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Edit 47:1668–1671
Lundström P, Teilum K, Carstensen T, Bezsonova I, Wiesner S, Hansen DF, Religa TL, Akke M, Kay LE (2007) Fractional 13C enrichment of isolated carbons using [1–13C]- or [2–13C]-glucose facilitates the accurate measurement of dynamics at backbone Cα and side-chain methyl positions in proteins. J Biomol NMR 38:199–212
Maslennikov I, Klammt C, Hwang E, Kefala G, Okamura M, Esquivies L, Mörs K, Glaubitz C, Kwiatkowski W, Jeon YH, Choe S (2010) Membrane domain structures of three classes of histidine kinase receptors by cell-free expression and rapid NMR analysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
McCaldon P, Argos P (1988) Oligopeptide biases in protein sequences and their use in predicting protein coding regions in nucleotide sequences. Proteins 4:99–122
Parker MJ, Aulton-Jones M, Hounslow AM, Craven CJ (2004) A combinatorial selective labeling method for the assignment of backbone amide NMR resonances. J Am Chem Soc 126:5020–5021
Reckel S, Sobhanifar S, Schneider B, Junge F, Schwarz D, Durst F, Löhr F, Güntert P, Bernhard F, Dötsch V (2008) Transmembrane segment enhanced labeling as a tool for the backbone assignment of α-helical membrane proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:8262–8267
Schmucki R (2008) Peak particle dynamics for automated NMR resonance assignment. Ph.D. thesis, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
Schmucki R, Yokoyama S, Güntert P (2009) Automated assignment of NMR chemical shifts using peak-particle dynamics simulation with the DYNASSIGN algorithm. J Biomol NMR 43:97–109
Schneider R, Ader C, Lange A, Giller K, Hornig S, Pongs O, Becker S, Baldus M (2008) Solid-state NMR spectroscopy applied to a chimeric potassium channel in lipid bilayers. J Am Chem Soc 130:7427–7435
Schubert M, Manolikas T, Rogowski M, Meier BH (2006) Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of 10% 13C labeled ubiquitin: spectral simplification and stereospecific assignment of isopropyl groups. J Biomol NMR 35:167–173
Shi J, Pelton JG, Cho HS, Wemmer DE (2004) Protein signal assignments using specific labeling and cell-free synthesis. J Biomol NMR 28:235–247
Skrisovska L, Allain FHT (2008) Improved segmental isotope labeling methods for the NMR study of multidomain or large proteins: Application to the RRMs of Npl3p and hnRNP L. J Mol Biol 375:151–164
Trbovic N, Klammt C, Koglin A, Löhr F, Bernhard F, Dötsch V (2005) Efficient strategy for the rapid backbone assignment of membrane proteins. J Am Chem Soc 127:13504–13505
van Gammeren AJ, Hulsbergen FB, Hollander JG, de Groot HJM (2004) Biosynthetic site-specific 13C labeling of the light-harvesting 2 protein complex: A model for solid state NMR structure determination of transmembrane proteins. J Biomol NMR 30:267–274
Yamazaki T, Otomo T, Oda N, Kyogoku Y, Uegaki K, Ito N, Ishino Y, Nakamura H (1998) Segmental isotope labeling for protein NMR using peptide splicing. J Am Chem Soc 120:5591–5592
Zech SG, Wand AJ, McDermott AE (2005) Protein structure determination by high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy: Application to microcrystalline ubiquitin. J Am Chem Soc 127:8618–8626
Zhou DH, Shea JJ, Nieuwkoop AJ, Franks WT, Wylie BJ, Mullen C, Sandoz D, Rienstra CM (2007) Solid-state protein-structure determination with proton-detected triple-resonance 3D magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Edit 46:8380–8383
Züger S, Iwai H (2005) Intein-based biosynthetic incorporation of unlabeled protein tags into isotopically labeled proteins for NMR studies. Nat Biotechnol 23:736–740
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge financial support by the Lichtenberg program of the Volkswagen Foundation and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). S. J. U. is supported by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hefke, F., Bagaria, A., Reckel, S. et al. Optimization of amino acid type-specific 13C and 15N labeling for the backbone assignment of membrane proteins by solution- and solid-state NMR with the UPLABEL algorithm. J Biomol NMR 49, 75–84 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10858-010-9462-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10858-010-9462-4