Challenges in the Development of Functional Assays of Membrane Proteins

Autor: Louis Tiefenauer, Sophie Demarche
Rok vydání: 2012
Předmět:
polymer
microfluidics
review
02 engineering and technology
lcsh:Technology
03 medical and health sciences
surface
membrane protein
General Materials Science
lcsh:Microscopy
Lipid bilayer
Integral membrane protein
lcsh:QC120-168.85
030304 developmental biology
function
0303 health sciences
lcsh:QH201-278.5
biology
lipid bilayers
lcsh:T
Membrane transport protein
Chemistry
Peripheral membrane protein
silicon
Biological membrane
Membrane transport
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Membrane protein
Biochemistry
lcsh:TA1-2040
biology.protein
Biophysics
Function
Surface
Lipid bilayers
Silicon
Polymer
Microfluidics
Review
lcsh:Descriptive and experimental mechanics
lcsh:Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering
lcsh:Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
0210 nano-technology
lcsh:TK1-9971
Membrane biophysics
Zdroj: Materials, Vol 5, Iss 11, Pp 2205-2242 (2012)
Materials, 5 (11)
Materials
ISSN: 1996-1944
DOI: 10.3390/ma5112205
Popis: Lipid bilayers are natural barriers of biological cells and cellular compartments. Membrane proteins integrated in biological membranes enable vital cell functions such as signal transduction and the transport of ions or small molecules. In order to determine the activity of a protein of interest at defined conditions, the membrane protein has to be integrated into artificial lipid bilayers immobilized on a surface. For the fabrication of such biosensors expertise is required in material science, surface and analytical chemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology. Specifically, techniques are needed for structuring surfaces in the micro- and nanometer scale, chemical modification and analysis, lipid bilayer formation, protein expression, purification and solubilization, and most importantly, protein integration into engineered lipid bilayers. Electrochemical and optical methods are suitable to detect membrane activity-related signals. The importance of structural knowledge to understand membrane protein function is obvious. Presently only a few structures of membrane proteins are solved at atomic resolution. Functional assays together with known structures of individual membrane proteins will contribute to a better understanding of vital biological processes occurring at biological membranes. Such assays will be utilized in the discovery of drugs, since membrane proteins are major drug targets
Materials, 5 (11)
ISSN:1996-1944
Databáze: OpenAIRE