The interactions of the 15N-labeled amino groups of dry solid poly-L-lysine (PLL) with various halogen and oxygen acids HX and the relation to the secondary structure have been studied using solid-state 15N and 13C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy (CP = cross polarization and MAS = magic angle spinning). For comparison, 15N NMR spectra of an aqueous solution of PLL were measured as a function of pH. In order to understand the effects of protonation and hydration on the 15N chemical shifts of the amino groups, DFT and chemical shielding calculations were performed on isolated methylamine-acid complexes and on periodic halide clusters of the type (CH3NH3(+)X(-))n. The combined experimental and computational results reveal low-field shifts of the amino nitrogens upon interaction with the oxygen acids HX = HF, H2SO4, CH3COOH, (CH3)2POOH, H3PO4, HNO3, and internal carbamic acid formed by reaction of the amino groups with gaseous CO2. Evidence is obtained that only hydrogen-bonded species of the type (Lys-NH2***H-X)n are formed in the absence of water. 15N chemical shifts are maximum when H is located in the hydrogen bond center and then decrease again upon full protonation, as found for aqueous solution at low pH. By contrast, halogen acids interact in a different way. They form internal salts of the type (Lys-NH3(+)X(-))n via the interaction of many acid-base pairs. This salt formation is possible only in the beta-sheet conformation. By contrast, the formation of hydrogen-bonded complexes can occur both in beta-sheet domains as well as in alpha-helical domains. The 15N chemical shifts of the protonated ammonium groups increase when the size of the interacting halogen anions is increased from chloride to iodide and when the number of the interacting anions is increased. Thus, the observed high-field 15N shift of ammonium groups upon hydration is the consequence of replacing interacting halogen atoms by oxygen atoms.

Using (15)N solid-state NMR, we have studied protonation and H-bonded states of the cofactor pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) linked as an internal aldimine in alanine racemase (AlaR), aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT), and poly-L-lysine. Protonation of the pyridine nitrogen of PLP and the coupled proton transfer from the phenolic oxygen (enolimine form) to the aldimine nitrogen (ketoenamine form) is often considered to be a prerequisite to the initial step (transimination) of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. Indeed, using (15)N NMR and H-bond correlations in AspAT, we observe a strong aspartate-pyridine nitrogen H-bond with H located on nitrogen. After hydration, this hydrogen bond is maintained. By contrast, in the case of solid lyophilized AlaR, we find that the pyridine nitrogen is neither protonated nor hydrogen bonded to the proximal arginine side chain. However, hydration establishes a weak hydrogen bond to pyridine. To clarify how AlaR is activated, we performed (13)C and (15)N solid-state NMR experiments on isotopically labeled PLP aldimines formed by lyophilization with poly-L-lysine. In the dry solid, only the enolimine tautomer is observed. However, a fast reversible proton transfer involving the ketoenamine tautomer is observed after treatment with either gaseous water or gaseous dry HCl. Hydrolysis requires the action of both water and HCl. The formation of an external aldimine with aspartic acid at pH 9 also produces the ketoenamine form stabilized by interaction with a second aspartic acid, probably via a H-bond to the phenolic oxygen. We postulate that O-protonation is an effectual mechanism for the activation of PLP, as is N-protonation, and that enzymes that are incapable of N-protonation employ this mechanism.

Using high resolution solid state (15)N and (13)C NMR spectroscopy we have studied the effects of successive hydration on the (15)N labeled side chain amino groups of solid poly-L-lysine (PLL) in the presence of acids. Generally, hydration leads to the formation of local "ionic fluid" phases composed by flexible side chain ammonium groups, acid anions and small amounts of water. The associated local dynamics reduces the widths of the inhomogeneously broadened (15)N amino signals found for the dry states. The hydration of free base PLL--which consists of mixtures of alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets--is monitored by a small low-field shift of the amino group signal arising from hydrogen bonding with water, reaching eventually the value of PLL in water at pH 13. No difference for the two conformations is observed. PLL x HF adopts a similar secondary structure with isolated NHF hydrogen bonds; hydration leads only to small low-field shifts which are nevertheless compatible with the formation of ammonium groups in aqueous solution. PLL doped with small amounts of HCl contains ammonium groups which are internally solvated by neighboring free amino groups. Both nitrogen environments are characterized by different chemical shifts. Hydration with less than one water molecule per amino group leads already to a chemical shift averaging arising from fast proton motions along NHN-hydrogen bonds and fast side chain and anion motions.By contrast, the hydration of fully doped PLL x HBr and PLL x HCl is more complex. These systems exist only in beta-pleated sheet conformations forming alkyl ammonium salt structures. Separate (15)N signal components are observed for (i) the dry states, for (ii) wet beta-pleated sheets and for (iii) wet alpha-helices which are successively formed upon hydration. Exchange between these environments is slow, but water motions lead to averaged amino group signals within each of the two wet environments. These results indicate that the different environments form domains. As the replacement of NHBr or of NHCl hydrogen bonds by NHO hydrogen bonds leads to high-field shifts the observation of separated signals is the result of different water content in the three domains. In agreement with previous X-ray powder diffraction studies we observe a dominance of the alpha-helical regions at above 3 water molecules per amino group in the case of PLL x HBr and at about 5 water molecules in the case of PLL x HCl, an effect arising from the limited space between beta-pleated sheets and the larger volume of bromide as compared to chloride.

The acid-base and base-base interactions of the (15)N-labeled side-chain amino groups of dry solid poly-L-lysine (PLL) and the consequences for the secondary structure have been studied using high-resolution solid state (15)N and (13)C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy. In a previous study we had shown that at acid/base ratios of 1 per amino group the halogen acids HI, HCl and HBr form PLL salts in the beta-pleated sheet but not in the alpha-helical structure, whereas HF and various oxygen acids form 1:1 acid-base hydrogen-bonded complexes in both secondary structures. In the present study we performed NMR experiments at reduced acid/base ratios in order to elucidate whether also 1:2 and 1:3 acid-base complexes are formed under these conditions. Generally, the PLL samples containing HF, HBr, HCl, HI, CH(3)COOH, H(3)PO(4), H(2)SO(4), or HNO(3) were obtained by lyophilization at different pH. For comparison, samples were also obtained by letting dry acid-free PLL interact with gaseous HCl. In a theoretical section we first study the probability of the different acid-base complexes as a function of the acid/base ratio and the equilibrium constants of the complex formation. Using this information, the (15)N NMR spectra of acid doped PLL obtained were analyzed and assigned. Indeed, evidence for the formation of 1:2 and 1:3 acid-base complexes at lower acid/base ratios could be obtained. Moreover, the salt structures of the halides of PLL are already destroyed at acid/base ratios of about 0.8. By contrast, when acid-free poly-L-lysine is exposed to HCl gas, a biexponential conversion of amino groups into ammonium groups is observed without formation of 1:2 and 1:3 complexes. (13)C NMR reveals that the beta-pleated sheet environments of acid-free PLL react rapidly with HCl, whereas the alpha-helices first have to be converted in a slow reaction to beta-pleated sheets before they can react. Interestingly, after partial doping with HCl, exposure to gaseous H(2)O catalyzes the interconversion of the ammonium and amino groups into a mixture of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 complexes. Finally, the (15)N NMR assignments were assisted by DFT calculations on methylamine-acid model complexes.