In-cell NMR: an emerging approach for monitoring metal-related events in living cells

Abstract

In-cell NMR, an isotope-assisted multi-dimensional NMR technique, has been proven to be successful in the investigation of protein dynamics, folding, conformational changes induced by binding events, posttranslational modification in the complex native environments, as well as in vivo drug screening, even de novo 3D protein structure determination in living cells. This technique was initially applied to bacterial cells, and subsequently has been extended to various other cells including eukaryotic cells. In this review, we briefly summarize the methodology and application of in-cell NMR with a focus on its application in metallomics and metalloproteomics. This emerging technique is anticipated to be an excellent tool for studying metal-associated events in complex native environments of living cells.