The thrill of a great HSQC spectrum!

As an NMR spectroscopist, there is really nothing better than getting your first glimpse of the 2D 1H-15N NMR spectrum of your particular protein known as the HSQC (heteronuclear single quantum coherence). This spectrum gives us a 'fingerprint' of the protein backbone that we use to study dynamics and interactions with small molecules and other proteins. Each peak here represents a backbone amide for one non-proline amino acid, allowing us to probe the environment of our protein at atomic resolution. Here's a fantastic looking HSQC of a new protein we're working on...more to come later!