Conformation of valine side chains in ribonuclease T1 determined by NMR studies of homonuclear and heteronuclear 3J coupling constants.

A conformational analysis of the valine side chains of ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) was performed using NMR spectroscopy, in particular homonuclear (1H, 1H and 13C, 13C) and heteronuclear (1H, 15N and 1H, 13C) vicinal spin-spin coupling constants as obtained from E.COSY-type NMR experiments. The coupling constants related to the chi 1 dihedral angle in valine, 3JH alpha H beta, 3JNH beta, 3JC'H beta, 3JH alpha C gamma 1, 3JH alpha C gamma 2, 3JC'C gamma 1, and 3JC'C gamma 2, were evaluated in a quantitative manner. The analysis of 3J data allowed for the stereospecific assignment of the valine methyl resonances. On the basis of various models for motional averaging of coupling constants, a fit of the torsion angles chi 1 to a set of the experimental 3J coupling constants (3JH alpha H beta, 3JNH beta, 3JC'H beta) was carried out. The resulting side-chain conformations were examined with respect to NOE distance informations. Single rotameric states emerged for Val16, Val67, Val79, and Val101, while conformational equilibria between staggered rotamers were found for Val33 and Val78. Using a different model approach, Val52 and Val89 are also likely to exhibit unimodal chi 1 angle distributions. The analysis was found to depend critically on the set of Karplus parameters used. Except for Val52 and Val78, the predominant rotamers obtained from 3J coupling informations agree with the conformation in the crystal structure of ribonuclease T1 (Martinez-Oyanedel et al., 1991).