Local and Global Dynamics of the G Protein-coupled Receptor CXCR1

The local and global dynamics of the chemokine receptor CXCR1 are characterized using a combination of solution NMR and solid-state NMR experiments. In isotropic bicelles (q = 0.1), only 13% of the expected number of backbone amide resonances is observed in (1)H/(15)N HSQC solution NMR spectra of uniformly (15)N-labeled samples; extensive deuteration and the use of TROSY made little difference in the 800 MHz spectra. The limited number of observed amide signals is ascribed to mobile backbone sites and assigned to specific residues in the protein; 19 of the signals are from residues at the N-terminus and 25 from residues at the C-terminus. The solution NMR spectra display no evidence of local backbone motions from residues in the transmembrane helices or interhelical loops of CXCR1. This finding is reinforced by comparisons of solid-state NMR spectra of both magnetically aligned and unoriented bilayers containing either full-length or doubly N- and C-terminal truncated CXCR1 constructs. CXCR1 undergoes rapid rotational diffusion about the normal of liquid crystalline phospholipid bilayers; reductions in the frequency span and a change to axial symmetry are observed for both carbonyl carbon and amide nitrogen chemical shift powder patterns of unoriented samples containing (13)C- and (15)N-labeled CXCR1. In contrast, when the phospholipids are in the gel phase, CXCR1 does not undergo rapid global reorientation on the 10(4) Hz time scale defined by the carbonyl carbon and amide nitrogen chemical shift powder patterns.