Amphipols: Polymers that Keep Membrane Proteins Soluble in Aqueous Solutions

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 s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1996-12, Vol.93 (26), p.15047-15050
Main Authors: Tribet, Christophe, Audebert, Roland, Popot, Jean-Luc
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aqueous solutions
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - chemistry
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - isolation & purification
Bacteriorhodopsins
Bacteriorhodopsins - chemistry
Bacteriorhodopsins - isolation & purification
Biochemistry
Biological Sciences
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - metabolism
Cytochrome b Group - chemistry
Cytochrome b Group - isolation & purification
Cytochrome b6f Complex
Cytochromes
Detergents
Drug Stability
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Halobacterium - metabolism
Kinetics
Membrane proteins
Membrane Proteins - chemistry
Membranes
Models, Structural
Molecules
Monomers
Polymers
Porins
Protein Structure, Secondary
Proteins
Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Solubility
Surface-Active Agents - chemical synthesis
Time Factors
Water
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Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.93.26.15047