New tool for the quantification of detergents complexed with membrane proteins
CALIXAR announces the publication of a new study by P. FALSON’s laboratory (Chaptal V et al., 2017, Scientific report) as part of a long term collaboration.
Most membrane proteins studies require the use of detergents, but because of the lack of a general, accurate and rapid method to quantify them, many uncertainties remain that hamper proper functional and structural data analyses. To solve this problem, the authors propose a method based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) that allows quantification of pure or mixed detergents in complex with membrane proteins. They validated the method with a wide variety of detergents and membrane proteins. They automated the process, thereby allowing routine quantification for a broad spectrum of usage. As a first illustration, they show how to obtain information of the amount of detergent in complex with a membrane protein, essential for liposome or nanodiscs reconstitutions.
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Thanks to this new method, the authors also show how to reliably and easily estimate the detergent corona diameter and select the smallest size, critical for favoring protein-protein contacts and triggering/promoting membrane protein crystallization, and to visualize the detergent belt for Cryo-EM studies.