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Solid-State NMR for Studying Peptide Structures and Peptide-Lipid Interactions in Membranes

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Modern Magnetic Resonance

Abstract

Peptide-lipid interactions can be conveniently studied using solid-state NMR (SSNMR), as various approaches have been developed to resolve the structures of membrane-bound peptides under quasi-native conditions. By labeling peptides with NMR-active nuclei, it is possible to characterize their conformation, orientation, and dynamics within a lipid bilayer and to obtain information about their self-assembly and aggregation behavior. This review is focused on peptides that are labeled with 2H or 15N and describe results primarily from two important classes of helical peptides: (i) hydrophobic transmembrane model peptides and (ii) amphipathic antimicrobial peptides. It can be concluded from these SSNMR studies that both types of peptides exhibit specific effects under conditions of hydrophobic mismatch, i.e., when the (hydrophobic) length of the peptide differs from the hydrophobic thickness of the bilayer. In particular, when the peptide is too long, it compensates this mismatch by tilting in the membrane, thereby providing an effective (hydrophobic) length to match the membrane thickness. It was also observed that peptides can more easily insert into membranes when the bilayer is composed of lipids with a large positive spontaneous curvature, such as lysolipids.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P.O.B. 3640, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Erik Strandberg & Anne S. Ulrich

  2. Institute of Organic Chemistry, KIT, Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Anne S. Ulrich

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  1. Erik Strandberg
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  2. Anne S. Ulrich
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Correspondence to Erik Strandberg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Society of Chemistry, London, United Kingdom

    Graham A. Webb

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Strandberg, E., Ulrich, A.S. (2018). Solid-State NMR for Studying Peptide Structures and Peptide-Lipid Interactions in Membranes. In: Webb, G. (eds) Modern Magnetic Resonance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28388-3_114

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