title: Assessment of molecular structure using frame-independent orientational restraints derived from residual dipolar couplings.
abstract: Residual dipolar couplings measured in weakly aligning liquid-crystalline solvent contain valuable information on the structure of biomolecules in solution. Here we demonstrate that dipolar couplings (DCs) can be used to derive a comprehensive set of pairwise angular restraints that do not depend on the orientation of the alignment tensor principal axes. These restraints can be used to assess the agreement between a trial protein structure and a set of experimental dipolar couplings by means of a graphic representation termed a 'DC consistency map'. Importantly, these maps can be used to recognize structural elements consistent with the experimental DC data and to identify structural parameters that require further refinement, which could prove important for the success of DC-based structure calculations. This approach is illustrated for the 42 kDa maltodextrin-binding protein.
authors.affiliation: Protein Engineering Network Centers of Excellence and Department of Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Skrynnikov
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kay
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005782:Gels; D008958:Models, Molecular; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / Q000379:methods*; D033902:Periplasmic Binding Proteins; D011338:Probability Theory; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005782:Gels; C461619:MalE protein, E coli; D033902:Periplasmic Binding Proteins; D011506:Proteins