Single-Molecule Vibrational Spectroscopy Adds Structural Resolution to the Optical Trap

AbstractThe ability to apply forces on single molecules with an optical trap is combined with the endogenous structural resolution of Raman spectroscopy in an article in this issue, and applied to measure the Raman spectrum of ds-DNA during force-extension

Solvent and conformation dependence of amide I vibrations in peptides and proteins containing proline

We present a mixed quantum-classical model for studying the amide I vibrational dynamics (predominantly CO stretching) in peptides and proteins containing proline. There are existing models developed for determining frequencies of and couplings between the secondary amide units. However, these are not applicable to proline because this amino acid has a tertiary amide unit. Therefore, a new parametrization is required for infrared-spectroscopic studies of proteins that contain proline, such as collagen, the most abundant protein in humans and animals. Here, we construct the electrostatic and dihedral maps accounting for solvent and conformation effects on frequency and coupling for the proline unit. We examine the quality and the applicability of these maps by carrying out spectral simulations of a number of peptides with proline in D2O and compare with experimental observations.Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (VIDI grant)National Science Foundation (U.S.) ((NSF) CHE-0911107

Melting of a beta-Hairpin Peptide Using Isotope-Edited 2D IR Spectroscopy and Simulations

Item does not contain fulltextIsotope-edited two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy has been used to characterize the conformational heterogeneity of the beta-hairpin peptide TrpZip2 (TZ2) across its thermal unfolding transition. Four isotopologues were synthesized to probe hydrogen bonding and solvent exposure of the beta-turn (K8), the N-terminus (S1), and the midstrand region (T10 and T3T10). Isotope-shifts, 2D lineshapes, and other spectral changes to the amide I 2D IR spectra of labeled TZ2 isotopologues were observed as a function of temperature. Data were interpreted on the basis of structure-based spectroscopic modeling of conformers obtained from extensive molecular dynamics simulations. The K8 spectra reveal two unique turn geometries, the type I' beta-turn observed in the NMR structure, and a less populated disordered or bulged loop. The data indicate that structures at low temperature resemble the folded NMR structure with typical cross-strand hydrogen bonds, although with a subpopulation of misformed turns. As the temperature is raised from 25 to 85 degrees C, the fraction of population with a type I' turn increases, but the termini also fray. Hydrogen bonding contacts in the midstrand region remain at all temperatures although with increasing thermal disorder. Our data show no evidence of an extended chain or random coil state for the TZ2 peptide at any temperature. The methods demonstrated here offer an approach to characterizing conformational variation within the folded or unfolded states of proteins and peptides

Vibrational excitons in ionophores: Experimental probes for quantum coherence-assisted ion transport and selectivity in ion channels

Despite a large body of work, the exact molecular details underlying ion-selectivity and transport in the potassium channel have not been fully laid to rest. One major reason has been the lack of experimental methods that can probe these mechanisms dynamically on their biologically relevant time scales. Recently it was suggested that quantum coherence and its interplay with thermal vibration might be involved in mediating ion-selectivity and transport. In this work we present an experimental strategy for using time resolved infrared spectroscopy to investigate these effects. We show the feasibility by demonstrating the IR absorption and Raman spectroscopic signatures of potassium binding model molecules that mimic the transient interactions of potassium with binding sites of the selectivity filter during ion conduction. In addition to guide our experiments on the real system we have performed molecular dynamic-based simulations of the FTIR and 2DIR spectra of the entire KcsA complex, which is the largest complex for which such modeling has been performed. We found that by combing isotope labeling with 2D IR spectroscopy, the signatures of potassium interaction with individual binding sites would be experimentally observable and identified specific labeling combinations that would maximize our expected experimental signatures

Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and computational modeling : application to protein folding and binding

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2010.Vita. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-291).In this thesis, dynamics experiments are developed that can be used to study protein conformational changes such as folding and binding. Every functional motion of a protein is inextricably linked to conformational dynamics. However, most of our insight into protein folding and binding is indirectly obtained through kinetics experiments that measure reaction rates and reveal how fast populations of stable states interconvert. Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D IR) is the central tool developed in this thesis for protein dynamics experiments due to its combination of time and structural resolution. As a vibrational spectroscopy, 2D IR potentially offers femtosecond time resolution. Its advantages over linear, absorption spectroscopy come through correlating excitation and emission frequencies to allow for a separation of homogenous and inhomogeneous line shape components, and to give rise to structurally sensitive cross-peaks. One general problem was repeatedly addressed in this thesis: how can 2D IR spectra best be modeled to reveal atomistic structural information? The key feature that now sets 2D IR apart from other fast protein probes is that the data can readily be calculated from an atomistic structure or molecular dynamics simulation using the methods developed in this thesis work. Demonstrative applications are presented for the amide 1-11 spectroscopy of NMA, the amide 1'-II' spectroscopy of poly-L-lysine, isotope-edited 2D IR spectroscopy of trpzip2, and transient 2D JR spectroscopy of ubiquitin unfolding after a temperature jump. The emerging paradigm is to interpret 2D IR spectra with the aid of an atomistic, molecular dynamics simulation. The applications to protein binding use the monomer-dimer transition of insulin as a model system. Using a combination of experiments and simulations, this equilibrium was characterized as a function of protein concentration, temperature, and solvent. Finally, as a complement to the structural information provided by 2D IR, dye-labeling and intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence experiments on insulin are described.by Ziad Ganim.Ph.D

Insulin Dimer Dissociation and Unfolding Revealed by Amide I Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy

The monomer–dimer transition of insulin has been probed with two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and related infrared spectroscopies to isolate spectral signatures of the conformational changes concomitant with dissociation. These experiments were atomistically interpreted using 2D IR spectra calculated from an ensemble of monomer and dimer structures including the effects of disorder, which provided a complement and a point of comparison to NMR and X-ray crystallography models. The amide I ν⊥ mode, which is delocalized over both monomer units through an intermolecular antiparallel β sheet, was lost upon dimer dissociation and shifts were observed in the ν∥ β-sheet and α-helix bands. These spectral changes provided a structurally sensitive probe of dimer dissociation, which was used to measure the binding constant, KD, and to parameterize a thermodynamic model for the dimer fraction. The solvent conditions surveyed the effects of ethanol and salt addition on the dimer fraction in acidic, deuterated water as a function of temperature. It was found that addition of ethanol had a significant destabilizing effect on the dimer state, and shifted KD from 70 μM in D2O to 7.0 mM in 20% EtOD at 22 °C. Simulation of the monomer 2D IR spectra indicates that the B-chain C terminus is partially disordered, although not fully solvated by water.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CHE-0616575)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CHE-0911107

Heterodyne-detected dispersed vibrational echo spectroscopy

We develop heterodyned dispersed vibrational echo spectroscopy (HDVE) and demonstrate the new capabilities in biophysical applications. HDVE is a robust ultrafast technique that provides a characterization of the real and imaginary components of third-order nonlinear signals with high sensitivity and single-laser-shot capability and can be used to extract dispersed pump−probe and dispersed vibrational echo spectra. Four methods for acquiring HDVE phase and amplitude spectra were compared: Fourier transform spectral interferometry, a new phase modulation spectral interferometry technique, and combination schemes. These extraction techniques were demonstrated in the context of protein amide I spectroscopy. Experimental HDVE and heterodyned free induction decay amide I spectra were explicitly compared to conventional dispersed pump−probe, dispersed vibrational echo, and absorption spectra. The new capabilities of HDVE were demonstrated by acquiring single-shot spectra and melting curves of ubiquitin and concentration-dependent spectra of insulin suitable for extracting the binding constant for dimerization. The introduced techniques will prove particularly useful in transient experiments, studying irreversible reactions, and micromolar concentration studies of small proteins.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CHE-0616575)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CHE-0911107