(2S,4S)‑5-Fluoroleucine, (2S,4R)‑5-Fluoroleucine, and 5,5′-Difluoroleucine in Escherichia coli PpiB: Protein Production, 19F NMR, and Ligand Sensing Enhanced by the γ‑Gauche Effect

• Published in: Biochemistry (Easton) 2024-06, Vol.63 (11), p.1376-1387
• Main Authors: Tan, Yi Jiun, Abdelkader, Elwy H., Tarcoveanu, Eliza, Maleckis, Ansis, Nitsche, Christoph, Otting, Gottfried
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0006-2960; 1520-4995; 1520-4995
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.4c00080

Global substitution of leucine for analogues containing CH2F instead of methyl groups delivers proteins with multiple sites for monitoring by 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The 19 kDa Escherichia coli peptidyl–prolyl cis–trans isomerase B (PpiB) was prepared with uniform high-level substitution of leucine by (2S,4S)-5-fluoroleucine, (2S,4R)-5-fluoroleucine, or 5,5′-difluoroleucine. The stability of the samples toward thermal denaturation was little altered compared to the wild-type protein. 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra showed large chemical shift dispersions between 6 and 17 ppm. The 19F chemical shifts correlate with the three-bond 1H–19F couplings (3 J HF), providing the first experimental verification of the γ-gauche effect predicted by [ Feeney, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 8700–8706 ] and establishing the effect as the predominant determinant of the 19F chemical shifts of CH2F groups. Individual CH2F groups can be confined to single rotameric states by the protein environment, but most CH2F groups exchange between different rotamers at a rate that is fast on the NMR chemical shift scale. Interactions between fluorine atoms in 5,5′-difluoroleucine bias the CH2F rotamers in agreement with results obtained previously for 1,3-difluoropropane. The sensitivity of the 19F chemical shift to the rotameric state of the CH2F groups potentially renders them particularly sensitive for detecting allosteric effects.