15N-15N Proton Assisted Recoupling in Magic Angle Spinning NMR

We describe a new magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiment for obtaining 15N-15N correlation spectra. The approach yields direct information about the secondary and tertiary structure of proteins, including identification of α-helical stretches and inter-strand connectivity in antiparallel β-sheets, which are of major interest for structural studies of membrane proteins and amyloid fibrils. The method, 15N-15N proton assisted recoupling (PAR), relies on a second order mechanism, third spin assisted recoupling (TSAR), used previously in the context of 15N-13C and 13C-13C polarization transfer schemes. In comparison to 15N-15N proton driven spin diffusion experiments, the PAR technique accelerates polarization transfer between 15N’s by a factor of ~102−103, and is furthermore applicable over the entire range of currently available MAS frequencies (10–70 kHz)