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Nanodiscs as a New Tool to Examine Lipid–Protein Interactions

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Lipid-Protein Interactions

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 974))

Abstract

Nanodiscs are self-assembled discoidal fragments of lipid bilayers 8–16 nm in diameter, stabilized in solution by two amphipathic helical scaffold proteins. As stable and highly soluble membrane mimetics with controlled lipid composition and ability to add affinity tags to the scaffold protein, nanodiscs represent an attractive model system for solubilization, isolation, purification, and biophysical and biochemical studies of membrane proteins. In this chapter we overview various approaches to structural and functional studies of different classes of integral membrane proteins such as ion channels, transporters, GPCR and other receptors, membrane enzymes, and blood coagulation cascade proteins which have been incorporated into nanodiscs. We outline the advantages provided by homogeneity, ability to control oligomerization state of the target protein and lipid composition of the bilayer. Special attention is paid to the opportunities afforded by nanodisc system for the detailed studies of the role of different lipid properties and protein–lipid interactions in the functional behavior of membrane proteins.

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Acknowledgments

Our work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health GM33775 and GM31756.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Biochemistry and Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Mary A. Schuler

  2. Departments of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Ilia G. Denisov

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Stephen G. Sligar

Authors
  1. Mary A. Schuler
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  2. Ilia G. Denisov
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  3. Stephen G. Sligar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen G. Sligar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Biophysik, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Straße 40, Kassel, 34132, Germany

    Jörg H. Kleinschmidt

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Schuler, M.A., Denisov, I.G., Sligar, S.G. (2013). Nanodiscs as a New Tool to Examine Lipid–Protein Interactions. In: Kleinschmidt, J. (eds) Lipid-Protein Interactions. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 974. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-275-9_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-275-9_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-274-2

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