Measurement of cross correlation between dipolar coupling and chemical shift anisotropy in the spin relaxation of 13C, 15N-labeled proteins.

We present a simple method for extracting interference effects between chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and dipolar coupling from spin relaxation measurements in macromolecules, and we apply this method to extracting cross-correlation rates involving interference of amide 15N CSA and 15N-1H dipolar coupling and interference of carbonyl 13C' CSA and 15N-13C' dipolar coupling, in a small protein. A theoretical basis for the interpretation of these rates is presented. While it proves difficult to quantitatively separate the structural and dynamic contributions to these cross-correlation rates in the presence of anisotropic overall tumbling and a nonaxially symmetric chemical shift tensor, some useful qualitative correlations of data with protein structure can be seen when simplifying assumptions are made. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.