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Improved validation of IDP ensembles by one-bond Cα–Hα scalar couplings

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Abstract

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are best described by ensembles of conformations and a variety of approaches have been developed to determine IDP ensembles. Because of the large number of conformations, however, cross-validation of the determined ensembles by independent experimental data is crucial. The 1JCαHα coupling constant is particularly suited for cross-validation, because it has a large magnitude and mostly depends on the often less accessible dihedral angle ψ. Here, we reinvestigated the connection between 1JCαHα values and protein backbone dihedral angles. We show that accurate amino-acid specific random coil values of the 1JCαHα coupling constant, in combination with a reparameterized empirical Karplus-type equation, allow for reliable cross-validation of molecular ensembles of IDPs.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Eckhard Mandelkow and Jacek Biernat for the Tau sample. This work was in part supported by the DFG through ZW71/8-1.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany

      Vytautas Gapsys & Bert L. de Groot

    2. Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

      Raghavendran L. Narayanan, ShengQi Xiang & Markus Zweckstetter

    3. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37077, Göttingen, Germany

      Markus Zweckstetter

    4. Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany

      Markus Zweckstetter

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    1. Vytautas Gapsys
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    Correspondence to Markus Zweckstetter.

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    Vytautas Gapsys and Raghavendran L. Narayanan have contributed equally to this work.

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    Gapsys, V., Narayanan, R.L., Xiang, S. et al. Improved validation of IDP ensembles by one-bond Cα–Hα scalar couplings. J Biomol NMR 63, 299–307 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10858-015-9990-z

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10858-015-9990-z

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