Porphyrin triplet state as a potential spin label for nanometer distance measurements by PELDOR spectroscopy

J Am Chem Soc. 2014 May 7;136(18):6582-5. doi: 10.1021/ja502615n. Epub 2014 Apr 25.

Abstract

This work demonstrates, for the first time, the feasibility of applying pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR/DEER) to determine the interspin distance between a photoexcited porphyrin triplet state (S = 1) and a nitroxide spin label chemically incorporated into a small helical peptide. The PELDOR trace shows deep envelope modulation induced by electron-electron dipole interaction between the partners in the pair, providing an accurate distance measurement. This new labeling approach has a high potential for measuring nanometer distances in more complex biological systems due to the sensitivity acquired from the spin polarization of the photoexcited triplet state spectrum.