Many people are aware that NMR can be used to determine peptide or protein structures, but they are not so clear on what the process involves. Protein NMR structure determination relies on the measurement of nuclear Overhauser enhancements, or NOEs, whose intensity depends on the distance between two nuclei. With a large number of NOEs, a computational model of the protein structure can be twisted and pulled until the distances between the atoms are consistent with the intensity of the NOEs. Sounds straightforward right? Read on for all the details and complications.
