Intermolecular paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) studies of transient complexes in intrinsically disordered proteins

Abstract

NMR interchain paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) techniques are a very powerful approach for detecting transient interchain interactions between intrinsically disordered proteins. These experiments, requiring a mixed sample containing a 1:1 ratio of isotope-labeled 15N protein and natural abundance 14N protein with a paramagnetic spin label, provide data that is limited to interchain interactions only. Application of these experiments to weakly associated transient species such as those that are present in the very early stages of self-assembly processes will aid our understanding of protein aggregation or fibril formation processes.