A solid-state NMR investigation of orexin-B

Abstract

Some key aspects of the secondary structure of solid orexin-B, a 28 amino-acid peptide, have been investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The 13C–15N dipolar coupling between the carbonyl carbon of Leu11 and the nitrogen of Leu15, as determined by rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) experiments, is 35 Hz, indicating that these nuclei are separated by approximately 4.5 Å. This distance is consistent with the α-helical structure determined for this segment of orexin-B by solution NMR measurements. REDOR measurements of the dipolar coupling between the carbonyl carbon of Ala17 and the nitrogen of Ala22 support the contention in an earlier solution NMR study that a bend exists between the two α helices of orexin-B. However, in the solid state the internuclear distance (6.4 Å) is significantly greater than that observed for orexin-B in aqueous solution. In addition to the distance measurements, the principal components of the amide carbonyl carbon chemical shift (CS) tensors for Leu11 and Ala17 and of the amide nitrogen CS tensors for Leu15 and Ala22 are reported. There are only minor differences between the amide carbonyl carbon CS tensors for Leu11 and Ala17 and between the nitrogen CS tensors for Leu15 and Ala22.Key words: orexin-B, solid-state NMR, REDOR, chemical shift tensors.