Sulfonated polystyrenes: pH and Mg²⁺-insensitive amphiphilic copolymers for detergent-free membrane protein isolation.

ABSTRACT: Amphiphilic polymers are increasingly applied in the detergent-free isolation and functional studies of membrane proteins. However, the carboxylate group present in the structure of many popular variants, such as styrene-maleic acid (SMA) copolymers, brings limitations in terms of polymer sensitivity to precipitation at acidic pH or in the presence of divalent metal cations. Herein, we addressed this problem by replacing carboxylate with the more acidic sulfonate groups. To this end, we synthesized a library of amphiphilic poly[styrene-co-(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate)] copolymers (termed SSS), differing in their molecular weight and overall polarity. Using model cell membranes (Jurkat), we identified two copolymer compositions (SSS-L30 and SSS-L36) that solubilized membranes to an ex

SUBMITTER: Janata M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10538444 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature