NMR of fd coat protein

The conformations of the major coat protein of a filamentous bacteriophage can be described by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the protein and the virus. The NMR experiments involve detection of the 13C and 1H nuclei of the coat protein. Both the 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra show that regions of the polypeptide chain have substantially more motion than a typical globular protein. The fd coat protein was purified by gel chromatography of the SDA solubilized virus. Natural abundance 13C NMR spectra at 38 MHz resolve all of the nonprotonated aromatic carbons from the three phenylalanines, two tyrosines, and one tryptophan of the coat protein. The alpha carbons of the coat protein show at least two different classes of relaxation behavior, indicative of substantial variation in the motion of the backbone carbons in contrast to the rigidity of the alpha carbons of globular proteins. The 1H spectrum at 360 MHz shows all of the aromatic carbons and many of the amide protons. Titration of a 1H spectra gives the pKas for the tyrosines.