Comprehensive Multiphase NMR provides an overview as to all components (liquids, gels, solids) in a living organism.

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A study of the hydrolysis of formamide is reported with the aims of isolating the water reaction for hydrolysis from the acid and base hydrolysis terms and determining the solvent deuterium kinetic isotope effect (dkie) on base-catalyzed hydrolysis. Respective activation parameters (ΔH‡ and ΔS‡) of (17.0 ± 0.4) kcal mol–1 and (–18.8 ± 1.3) cal mol–1 K–1 for the acid reaction and (17.9 ± 0.2) kcal mol–1 and (–11.1 ± 0.5) cal mol–1 K–1 for the base reaction were determined from Eyring plots of the second-order rate constants over the range of 27–120°C. Kinetic studies at the minima of the pH/rate profiles in the pH range from 5.6 to 6.2 in MES buffers at 56°C, and in the pH range of 4.25–6.87 in acetate and phosphate buffers at 120°C are reported. At 56°C the available data fit the expression k56obs = 0.00303[H3O+] + 0.032[HO–] + (3.6 ± 0.1) × 10–9, while at 120°C the data fit k120obs = (0.15 ± 0.02)[H3O+] + (3.20 ± 0.24)[HO–] + (1.09 ± 0.29) × 10–6. Preliminary experimental estimates of Ea (ln A) of 22.5 kcal mol–1 (15.03) for the water rate constant (kw) are calculated from an Arrhenius plot of the 56 and 120°C data giving an estimated kw of 1.1 × 10–10 s–1 (t1/2 = 199 years) at 25°C. Solvent dkie values of kOH/kOD = 1.15 and 0.77 ± 0.06 were determined at [OL–] = 0.075 and 1.47 M, respectively. The inverse value is determined under conditions where the the first step of the reaction dominates and is analyzed in terms of a rate-limiting attack of OL–.Key words: formamide, activation parameters, water reaction, acid and base hydrolysis, solvent kinetic isotope effect.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the misfolding and self-assembly of the amyloidogenic protein amyloid-β (Aβ). The aggregation of Aβ leads to diverse oligomeric states, each of which may be potential targets for intervention. Obtaining insight into Aβ oligomers at the atomic level has been a major challenge to most techniques. Here, we use magic angle spinning recoupling 1H-1H NMR experiments to overcome many of these limitations. Using 1H-1H dipolar couplings as a NMR spectral filter to remove both high and low molecular weight species, we provide atomic-level characterization of a non-fibrillar aggregation product of the Aβ1-40 peptide using non-frozen samples without isotopic labeling. Importantly, this spectral filter allows the detection of the specific oligomer signal without a separate purification procedure. In comparison to other solid-state NMR techniques, the experiment is extraordinarily selective and sensitive. A resolved 2D spectra could be acquired of a small population of oligomers (6 micrograms, 7% of the total) amongst a much larger population of monomers and fibers (93% of the total). By coupling real-time 1H-1H NMR experiments with other biophysical measurements, we show that a stable, primarily disordered Aβ1-40 oligomer 5–15 nm in diameter can form and coexist in parallel with the well-known cross-β-sheet fibrils.

Since the isolation of soil organic matter in 1786, tens of thousands of publications have searched for its structure. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has played a critical role in defining soil organic matter but traditional approaches remove key information such as the distribution of components at the soil-water interface and conformational information. Here a novel form of NMR with capabilities to study all physical phases termed Comprehensive Multiphase NMR, is applied to analyze soil in its natural swollen-state. The key structural components in soil organic matter are identified to be largely composed of macromolecular inputs from degrading biomass. Polar lipid heads and carbohydrates dominate the soil-water interface while lignin and microbes are arranged in a more hydrophobic interior. Lignin domains cannot be penetrated by aqueous solvents even at extreme pH indicating they are the most hydrophobic environment in soil and are ideal for sequestering hydrophobic contaminants. Here, for the first time, a complete range of physical states of a whole soil can be studied. This provides a more detailed understanding of soil organic matter at the molecular level itself key to develop the most efficient soil remediation and agricultural techniques, and better predict carbon sequestration and climate change.

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Phosphorus NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the importance of electrostatic interactions in the lytic activity of melittin, a cationic peptide. The micellization induced by melittin has been characterized for several lipid mixtures composed of saturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) and a limited amount of charged lipid. For these systems, the thermal polymorphism is similar to the one observed for pure PC: small comicelles are stable in the gel phase and extended bilayers are formed in the liquid crystalline phase. Vesicle surface charge density influences strongly the micellization. Our results show that the presence of negatively charged lipids (phospholipid or unprotonated fatty acid) reduces the proportion of lysed vesicles. Conversely, the presence of positively charged lipids leads to a promotion of the lytic activity of the peptide. The modulation of the lytic effect is proposed to originate from the electrostatic interactions between the peptide and the bilayer surface. Attractive interactions anchor the peptide at the surface and, as a consequence, inhibit its lytic activity. Conversely, repulsive interactions favor the redistribution of melittin into the bilayer, causing enhanced lysis. A quantitative analysis of the interaction between melittin and negatively charged bilayers suggests that electroneutrality is reached at the surface, before micellization. The surface charge density of the lipid layer appears to be a determining factor for the lipid/peptide stoichiometry of the comicelles; a decrease in the lipid/peptide stoichiometry in the presence of negatively charged lipids appears to be a general consequence of the higher affinity of melittin for these membranes.

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