Probing conformational dynamics in biomolecules via chemical exchange saturation transfer: a primer

• Published in: Journal of biomolecular NMR Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 243 - 271
• Main Authors: Vallurupalli, Pramodh, Sekhar, Ashok, Yuwen, Tairan, Kay, Lewis E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Biopolymers - chemistry; Magma; Magnetic fields; Magnetization; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular - methods; Perspective; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Proteins - chemistry; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA - chemistry; Spectroscopy/Spectrometry; Molecular dynamics; Slow conformational exchange; Excited conformational states; CEST
• ISSN: 0925-2738; 1573-5001
• DOI: 10.1007/s10858-017-0099-4

Although Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) type NMR experiments have been used to study chemical exchange processes in molecules since the early 1960s, there has been renewed interest in the past several years in using this approach to study biomolecular conformational dynamics. The methodology is particularly powerful for the study of sparsely populated, transiently formed conformers that are recalcitrant to investigation using traditional biophysical tools, and it is complementary to relaxation dispersion and magnetization transfer experiments that have traditionally been used to study chemical exchange processes. Here we discuss the concepts behind the CEST experiment, focusing on practical aspects as well, we review some of the pulse sequences that have been developed to characterize protein and RNA conformational dynamics, and we discuss a number of examples where the CEST methodology has provided important insights into the role of dynamics in biomolecular function.