The feasibility of using solid-state MAS NMR for in situ structural characterization of the LR11 (sorLA) transmembrane domain in native Escherichia coli (E. coli) membranes is presented. LR11 interacts with the human amyloid precursor protein (APP), a central player in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. The background signals from E. coli lipids and membrane proteins had only minor effects on LR11 TM resonances. Approximately 50% of the LR11 TM residues were assigned by using 13C PARIS data. These assignments allow comparisons of the secondary structure of LR11 TM in native membrane environments and in commonly used membrane mimics (e.g. micelles). In situ spectroscopy bypasses several obstacles in the preparation of membrane proteins for structural analysis, and offers an opportunity to investigate the consequences of membrane heterogeneity, bilayer asymmetry, chemical gradients, and macromolecular crowding on the protein structure
