Studying Peptide-Metal Ion Complex Structures by Solution-State NMR

Metal chelation can provide structural stability and form reactive centers in metalloproteins. Approximately one third of known protein structures are metalloproteins, and metal binding, or the lack thereof, is often implicated in disease, making it necessary to be able to study these systems in detail. Peptide-metal complexes are both present in nature and can provide a means to focus on the binding region of a protein and control experimental variables to a high degree. Structural studies of peptide complexes with metal ions by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were surveyed for all the essential metal complexes and many non-essential metal complexes. The various methods used to study each metal ion are presented together with examples of recent research. Many of these metal systems have been individually reviewed and this current overview of NMR studies of metallopeptide complexes aims to provide a basis for inspiration from structural studies and methodology applied in the field.