A fluorinated detergent for membrane-protein applications

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 Apr 20;54(17):5069-73. doi: 10.1002/anie.201412359. Epub 2015 Mar 9.

Abstract

Surfactants carrying fluorocarbon chains hold great promise as gentle alternatives to conventional hydrocarbon-based detergents for the solubilization and handling of integral membrane proteins. However, their inertness towards lipid bilayer membranes has limited the usefulness of fluorinated surfactants in situations where detergent-like activity is required. We demonstrate that fluorination does not necessarily preclude detergency, as exemplified by a fluorinated octyl maltoside derivative termed F6 OM. This nonionic compound readily interacts with and completely solubilizes phospholipid vesicles in a manner reminiscent of conventional detergents without, however, compromising membrane order at subsolubilizing concentrations. Owing to this mild and unusual mode of detergency, F6 OM outperforms a lipophobic fluorinated surfactant in chaperoning the functional refolding of an integral membrane enzyme by promoting bilayer insertion in the absence of micelles.

Keywords: biomembranes; liposomes; micelles; proteins; surfactants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Detergents / chemistry*
  • Halogenation
  • Liposomes / chemistry
  • Liposomes / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Micelles
  • Phosphatidylcholines / chemistry
  • Protein Refolding
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry

Substances

  • Detergents
  • Liposomes
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Micelles
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine