A class of mild surfactants that keep integral membrane proteins water-soluble for functional studies and crystallization.

ABSTRACT: Mixed protein-surfactant micelles are used for in vitro studies and 3D crystallization when solutions of pure, monodisperse integral membrane proteins are required. However, many membrane proteins undergo inactivation when transferred from the biomembrane into micelles of conventional surfactants with alkyl chains as hydrophobic moieties. Here we describe the development of surfactants with rigid, saturated or aromatic hydrocarbon groups as hydrophobic parts. Their stabilizing properties are demonstrated with three different integral membrane proteins. The temperature at which 50% of the binding sites for specific ligands are lost is used as a measure of stability and dodecyl-β-D-maltoside ('C12-b-M') as a reference for conventional surfactants. One surfactant increased the stability of tw

SUBMITTER: Hovers J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3865438 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature