Amphipols: Polymers That Keep Membrane Proteins Soluble in Aqueous Solutions

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 1996 Dec 24

PMID 8986761

Citations 185

Authors

C Tribet

R Audebert

J L Popot

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Amphipols are a new class of surfactants that make it possible to handle membrane proteins in detergent-free aqueous solution as though they were soluble proteins. The strongly hydrophilic backbone of these polymers is grafted with hydrophobic chains, making them amphiphilic. Amphipols are able to stabilize in aqueous solution under their native state four well-characterized integral membrane proteins: (i) bacteriorhodopsin, (ii) a bacterial photosynthetic reaction center, (iii) cytochrome b6f, and (iv) matrix porin.

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