A salt-bridge structure in solution revealed by 2D-IR spectroscopy.

Salt bridges are important interactions for the stability of protein conformations, but up to now it has been difficult to determine salt-bridge geometries in solution. Here we characterize the spatial structure of a salt bridge between guanidinium (Gdm(+)) and acetate (Ac(-)) using two-dimensional vibrational (2D-IR) spectroscopy. We find that as a result of salt bridge formation there is a significant change in the infrared response of Gdm(+) and Ac(-), and cross peaks between them appear in the 2D-IR spectrum. From the 2D-IR spectrum we determine the relative orientation of the transition-dipole moments of the vibrational modes of Gdm(+) and Ac(-), as well as the coupling between them.