1H, 13C and 15N NMR assignments and secondary structure of the paramagnetic form of rat cytochrome b5

Modern multidimensional double- and triple-resonance NMR methods have been applied to assign the backbone and side-chain 13C resonances for both equilibrium conformers of the paramagnetic form of rat liver microsomal cytochrome b5. The assignment of backbone 13C resonances was used to confirm previous 1H and 15N resonance assignments [Guiles, R.D. et al. (1993) Biochemistry, 32, 8329-8340]. On the basis of short- and medium-range NOEs and backbone 13C chemical shifts, the solution secondary structure of rat cytochrome b5 has been determined. The striking similarity of backbone 13C resonances for both equilibrium forms strongly suggests that the secondary structures of the two isomers are virtually identical. It has been found that the 13C chemical shifts of both backbone and side-chain atoms are relatively insensitive to paramagnetic effects. The reliability of such methods in anisotropic paramagnetic systems, where large pseudocontact shifts can be observed, is evaluated through calculations of the magnitude of such shifts.