Towards high-resolution solid-state NMR on large uniformly 15N- and [13C,15N]-labeled membrane proteins in oriented lipid bilayers.

Based on exact numerical simulations, taking into account isotropic and conformation-dependent anisotropic nuclear spin interactions, we systematically analyse the prospects for high-resolution solid-state NMR on large isotope-labeled membrane proteins macroscopically oriented in phospholipid bilayers. Using the known X-ray structures of rhodopsin and porin as models for large membrane proteins with typical alpha-helical and beta-barrel structural motifs, the analysis considers all possible one- to six-dimensional spectra comprised of frequency dimensions with evolution under any combination of amide 1H, amide 15N, and carbonyl 13C chemical shifts as well as 1H-15N dipole-dipole couplings. Under consideration of typical nuclear spin interaction and experimental line-shape parameters, the analysis provides new insight into the resolution capability and orientation-dependent transfer efficiency of existing experiments as well as guidelines as to improved experimental approaches for the study of large uniformly 15N- and [13C,15N]-labeled membrane proteins. On basis of these results and numerical optimizations of coherence-transfer efficiencies, we propose several new high-resolution experiments for sequential protein backbone assignment and structure determination.