Isotope labeling of alanine methyl groups for NMR studies of high-molecular-weight proteins

Labeling schemes commonly employed for NMR investigations of high-molecular-weight proteins utilize selective incorporation of protons and ¹³C isotopes into methyl groups of Ile^δ1, Leu^δ and Val^γ side-chains in a highly deuterated environment (commonly referred to as “ILV labeling”), providing a large number of high-quality probes for NMR studies of protein structure and dynamics. In this application note, Cambridge Isotope Laboratories describes the labeling of the methyl groups of alanine as an attractive extension of the ILV labeling methodology.