5 research outputs found
Physiological-Temperature Distance Measurement in Nucleic Acid using Triarylmethyl-Based Spin Labels and Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy
Resolving
the nanometer-scale structure of biomolecules in natural
conditions still remains a challenging task. We report the first distance
measurement in nucleic acid at physiological temperature using electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The model 10-mer DNA duplex has been
labeled with reactive forms of triarylmethyl radicals and then immobilized
on a sorbent in water solution and investigated by double quantum
coherence EPR. We succeeded in development of optimal triarylmethyl-based
labels, approach for site-directed spin labeling and efficient immobilization
procedure that, working together, allowed us to measure as long distances
as ∼4.6 nm with high accuracy at 310 K (37 °C)
Novel Biradicals for Direct Excitation Highfield Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
Synthesis
of novel trityl-nitroxyl biradicals and their performance
as polarization agents in DNP-enhanced solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy
is presented. Signal enhancements in <sup>1</sup>H, <sup>1</sup>H
→ <sup>13</sup>C CP MAS, and <sup>13</sup>C MAS experiments
obtained with these radicals dissolved in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane
(TCE) solution are compared with the enhancements obtained from TCE
solutions of binitroxyl radicals. The signal enhancements are correlated
with the distance between the radical centers of the biradicals, as
determined by theoretical structure calculations. Some of the biradical
TCE solutions display direct-channel resonances in <sup>13</sup>C
MAS experiments as well as indirect channel resonances induced via
the proton spin reservoir. Differential scanning calorimetry reveals
that only these solutions do not form any solid crystalline phases
upon rapid cooling, suggesting that molecular motions needed for polarization
transfer from radicals to <sup>13</sup>C via the proton spin reservoir
remain active at the experimental low temperatures of nominal 120
K. DNP magnetic field sweep enhancement profiles for selected new
biradicals are presented as well. These indicate that the DNP transfer
is dominated by the cross-effect mechanism