Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

14:55
Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 17, 2017
Structure and dynamics of membrane proteins by magic angle spinning solid-state NMR
1Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. aem5@columbia.edu
Annual Review of Biophysics
|February 28, 2009
Summary
Magic angle spinning solid-state NMR (MAS SSNMR) is a powerful technique for studying membrane proteins. Recent advances enable MAS SSNMR to determine the structure and function of complex membrane protein systems.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Structural Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Membrane proteins are challenging to study using conventional techniques.
- Magic angle spinning solid-state NMR (MAS SSNMR) offers a viable approach for moderate-sized membrane proteins.
- Existing MAS SSNMR methods rely on nuclear assignments for structure determination and functional characterization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent applications of MAS SSNMR for intrinsic membrane proteins.
- To summarize technical advancements in MAS SSNMR for membrane protein studies.
- To highlight the future potential of MAS SSNMR for complex membrane protein systems.
Main Methods:
- Magic Angle Spinning Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS SSNMR)
- Nuclear spin assignments
- Structure determination
- Functional characterization
Main Results:
- MAS SSNMR has been successfully applied to study fibrils and globular proteins.
- Increasing use of MAS SSNMR for membrane proteins embedded in lipid environments.
- Recent technical progress facilitates the study of more intricate membrane protein structures.
Conclusions:
- MAS SSNMR is a key technique for membrane protein research.
- Ongoing advancements will expand the scope of MAS SSNMR applications.
- This method is crucial for understanding membrane protein structure and function.
Related Concept Videos
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
At room temperature, the chair conformer of cyclohexane undergoes rapid ring flipping between two equivalent chair conformers at a rate of approximately 105 times per second. These two chair conformers are in equilibrium. The rapid ring flipping results in the interconversion of the axial proton to an equatorial proton and an equatorial to the axial proton. Such interconversions are too rapid and cannot be detected on the NMR timescale. Hence, the NMR spectrometer cannot distinguish between the...
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Variable-Temperature NMR
The axial and equatorial protons in cyclohexane can be distinguished by performing a variable-temperature NMR experiment. In this process, except for one proton, the remaining eleven protons are replaced by deuterium. The deuterium substitution avoids the possible peak splitting caused by the spin-spin coupling between the adjacent protons. The remaining proton flips between the axial and equatorial positions.
