Selective Isotope Labeling and LC-Photo-CIDNP Enable NMR Spectroscopy at Low-Nanomolar Concentration

NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate molecular structure and dynamics. The poor sensitivity of this technique, however, limits its ability to tackle questions requiring dilute samples. Low-concentration photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (LC-photo-CIDNP) is an optically enhanced NMR technology capable of addressing the above challenge by increasing the detection limit of aromatic amino acids in solution up to 1000-fold, either in isolation or within proteins. Here, we show that the absence of NMR-active nuclei close to a magnetically active site of interest (e.g., the structurally diagnostic 1Hα–13Cα pair of amino acids) is expected to significantly increase LC-photo-CIDNP hyperpolarization. Then, we exploit the spin-diluted tryptophan isotopolog Trp-α-13C-β,β,2,4,5,6,7-d7 and take advantage of the above prediction to experimentally achieve a ca 4-fold enhancement in NMR sensitivity over regular LC-photo-CIDNP. This advance enables the rapid (within seconds) detection of 20 nM concentrations or the molecule of interest, corresponding to a remarkable 3 ng detection limit. Finally, the above Trp isotopolog is amenable to incorporation within proteins and is readily detectable at a 1 μM concentration in complex cell-like media, including Escherichia coli cell-free extracts.