Application

For guidelines on the use of this and other MSP′s to prepare Nanodiscs, please visit our Protocols for Membrane Scaffold Proteins and Nanodisc Formation page.

The nanodisc system has been employed to incorporate a wide variety of proteins including GPCRs, P450s, bacteriorhodopsin, coagulation factors, cholera toxin, TAR receptor and aromatase.

Nanodisc soluble lipid bilayer systems have proven to be a widely applicable means for rendering membrane proteins soluble in aqueous solutions in a native-like bilayer environment where they remain monodisperse and active. The critical component of nanodiscs is the encircling amphipathic helical protein belt (membrane scaffold protein).

Biochem/physiol Actions

Generates Nanodiscs ~12.9 nm in diameter

General description

The nanodisc concept is derived from high density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and their primary protein component, apolipoprotein. The nanodisc is a non-covalent structure of phospholipid bilayer and membrane scaffold protein (MSP), a genetically engineered protein, which mimics the function of Apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1). A soluble nanodisc assembles as the phospholipid forms a bilayer, which is encircled by two amphipathic MSP molecules covering the hydrophobic alkyl chains of the bilayer. The length of the MSP controls the size of the nanodisc structure. MSP1E3D1 yields nanodiscs of ~12.9 nm. The thickness of a nanodisc is dependent on the type of phospholipid incorporated (typically 4.6−5.6 nm).

Legal Information

Nanodisc technology, and many of its uses, are covered by the following patents held by the University of Illinois. 7,691,414 Membrane scaffold proteins 7,662,410 Membrane scaffold proteins and embedded membrane proteins 7,622,437 Tissue factor compositions and methods 7,592,008 Membrane scaffold proteins 7,575,763 Membrane scaffold proteins and tethered membrane proteins 7,083,958 Membrane scaffold proteins 7,048,949 Membrane scaffold proteins

Physical form

Supplied as a lyophilized histidine-tagged protein with a TEV protease cleavage site stabilized with Tris-HCl, EDTA, and NaCl.

Physical properties

Sequence: GHHHHHHHDYDIPTTENLYFQGSTFSKLREQLGPVTQEFWDNLEKETEGLRQEMSKDLEEVKAKVQPYLDDFQKKWQEEMELYRQKVEPLRAELQEGARQKLHELQEKLSPLGEEMRDRARAHVDALRTHLAPYLDDFQKKWQEEMELYRQKVEPLRAELQEGARQKLHELQEKLSPLGEEMRDRARAHVDALRTHLAPYSDELRQRLAARLEALKENGGARLAEYHAKATEHLSTLSEKAKPALEDLRQGLLPVLESFKVSFLSALEEYTKKLNTQ