pH-dependent random coil (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N chemical shifts of the ionizable amino acids: a guide for protein pK a measurements

J Biomol NMR. 2014 Nov;60(2-3):109-29. doi: 10.1007/s10858-014-9862-y. Epub 2014 Sep 20.

Abstract

The pK a values and charge states of ionizable residues in polypeptides and proteins are frequently determined via NMR-monitored pH titrations. To aid the interpretation of the resulting titration data, we have measured the pH-dependent chemical shifts of nearly all the (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N nuclei in the seven common ionizable amino acids (X = Asp, Glu, His, Cys, Tyr, Lys, and Arg) within the context of a blocked tripeptide, acetyl-Gly-X-Gly-amide. Alanine amide and N-acetyl alanine were used as models of the N- and C-termini, respectively. Together, this study provides an essentially complete set of pH-dependent intra-residue and nearest-neighbor reference chemical shifts to help guide protein pK a measurements. These data should also facilitate pH-dependent corrections in algorithms used to predict the chemical shifts of random coil polypeptides. In parallel, deuterium isotope shifts for the side chain (15)N nuclei of His, Lys, and Arg in their positively-charged and neutral states were also measured. Along with previously published results for Asp, Glu, Cys, and Tyr, these deuterium isotope shifts can provide complementary experimental evidence for defining the ionization states of protein residues.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / chemistry*
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Carboxylic Acids / chemistry
  • Deuterium
  • Hydrogen / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / methods*
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Carboxylic Acids
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Proteins
  • Hydrogen
  • Deuterium