{"title":"Elucidating structure and metabolism of insect biomaterials by solid-state NMR","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ssnmr.2024.101974","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Among the many natural biomaterials for which information on atomic-level structure and reorientational motion can offer essential clues to function, insoluble multi-component composites with limited degrees of order are among the most challenging to study. Despite its limited sensitivity, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) is often the technique of choice to ferret out these details in carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials: this spectroscopic approach can probe many biomaterials in their native or near-native states, either with or without the introduction of stable NMR-active isotopes, or with the assistance of dynamic nuclear polarization technology. During a span of close to four decades, such research targets and ssNMR approaches have been exemplified by insects, a diverse and evolutionarily agile group of organisms with global impacts that include ecology, agriculture, and human disease. In this short review, we present case studies on insect cuticles that range from protective exoskeletons and egg capsules to the wing structures that enable flight and showcase nature's awe-inspiring beauty, highlighting the use of ssNMR spectroscopy to profile chemical composition, elucidate macromolecular architecture, and monitor metabolic development in these fascinating biological assemblies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21937,"journal":{"name":"Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926204024000602","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Among the many natural biomaterials for which information on atomic-level structure and reorientational motion can offer essential clues to function, insoluble multi-component composites with limited degrees of order are among the most challenging to study. Despite its limited sensitivity, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) is often the technique of choice to ferret out these details in carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials: this spectroscopic approach can probe many biomaterials in their native or near-native states, either with or without the introduction of stable NMR-active isotopes, or with the assistance of dynamic nuclear polarization technology. During a span of close to four decades, such research targets and ssNMR approaches have been exemplified by insects, a diverse and evolutionarily agile group of organisms with global impacts that include ecology, agriculture, and human disease. In this short review, we present case studies on insect cuticles that range from protective exoskeletons and egg capsules to the wing structures that enable flight and showcase nature's awe-inspiring beauty, highlighting the use of ssNMR spectroscopy to profile chemical composition, elucidate macromolecular architecture, and monitor metabolic development in these fascinating biological assemblies.
期刊介绍:
The journal Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance publishes original manuscripts of high scientific quality dealing with all experimental and theoretical aspects of solid state NMR. This includes advances in instrumentation, development of new experimental techniques and methodology, new theoretical insights, new data processing and simulation methods, and original applications of established or novel methods to scientific problems.