DNP enhanced MAS solid-state NMR of biological systems in their native context

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Bernd Reif
• Subject Area: Structural Biology
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 226561002

We propose to use DNP (Dynamic Nuclear Polarization) MAS solid-state NMR to determine the structure of membrane proteins and amyloid aggregates in their native cellular environment without the need for purification and reconstitution. The method will be applied to membrane proteins that we characterized previously employing standard NMR methodologies. In particular, we will focus on the membrane protein Mistic, a membrane protein chaperone, and EmrE, a multidrug resistance transporter. Furthermore, we will investigate the Alzheimer’s disease ß-amyloid peptide and characterize its structure in the context of neuronal cells. DNP is essential in all these projects as the available amount of isotopically enriched material, which can be packed into a MAS rotor, and its concentration is typically too little to enable a proper structural characterization using standard solution-state or solid-state NMR spectroscopy methods.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants