Protein Structure from Magic-angle Spinning NMR

Protein structure determination at the atomic scale is of utmost importance and serves as the cornerstone for understanding biological processes at the molecular level. Three-dimensional structures, preferably in conjunction with protein dynamics, report on protein function and can guide the development of inhibitors and possibly of new pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines. The protein data bank (PDB) holds over 200 000 structures determined mainly by X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). In this chapter we focus on the use of magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR for protein structure determination at atomic-resolution. We discuss sample preparation techniques, NMR methodologies and structure calculation techniques, and provide typical examples for structures including early studies of crystalline proteins, as well as examples from metalloproteins, amyloids, membrane proteins, and DNA/RNA binding proteins. All the structures discussed are available in the protein data bank.