Determination of the three-dimensional structure for weakly aligned biomolecules by NMR spectroscopy

The key achievements and the potential of NMR spectroscopy for weakly aligned biomolecules are considered. Due to weak alignment, it becomes possible to determine a number of NMR parameters dependent on the orientation of biomolecules, which are averaged to zero in usual isotropic media. The addition of new orientational constraints to standard procedures of 3D structure determination markedly increases the achievable accuracy. The possibility of structure determination for biomolecules using only orientation-dependent parameters without invoking other NMR data is discussed. The methods of orientation, experimental techniques, and calculation methods are systematised. The main results obtained and the prospects of using NMR spectroscopy of weakly aligned systems to study different classes of biomolecules and to solve various problems of molecular biology are analysed. Examples of biomolecules whose structures have been determined using orientation-dependent parameters are given. The bibliography includes 508 references.