Zoonens Manuela, Popot Jean-Luc
Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie Moléculaire des Protéines Membranaires, UMR 7099, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (FRC 550), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paris-7, 13, rue Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, 75005, Paris, France.
J Membr Biol. 2014 Oct;247(9-10):759-96. doi: 10.1007/s00232-014-9666-8. Epub 2014 Jun 27.
Amphipols (APols) are short amphipathic polymers that can substitute for detergents at the transmembrane surface of membrane proteins (MPs) and, thereby, keep them soluble in detergent free aqueous solutions. APol-trapped MPs are, as a rule, more stable biochemically than their detergent-solubilized counterparts. APols have proven useful to produce MPs, most noticeably by assisting their folding from the denatured state obtained after solubilizing MP inclusion bodies in either SDS or urea. They facilitate the handling in aqueous solution of fragile MPs for the purpose of proteomics, structural and functional studies, and therapeutics. Because APols can be chemically labeled or functionalized, and they form very stable complexes with MPs, they can also be used to functionalize those indirectly, which opens onto many novel applications. Following a brief recall of the properties of APols and MP/APol complexes, an update is provided of recent progress in these various fields.
双亲分子（APols）是短的两亲性聚合物，它们可以在膜蛋白（MPs）的跨膜表面替代去污剂，从而使膜蛋白在无去污剂的水溶液中保持可溶。通常，被双亲分子捕获的膜蛋白在生化性质上比用去污剂增溶的对应物更稳定。双亲分子已被证明在生产膜蛋白方面很有用，最显著的是通过帮助它们从在SDS或尿素中溶解膜蛋白包涵体后获得的变性状态折叠。为了蛋白质组学、结构和功能研究以及治疗目的，它们便于在水溶液中处理易碎的膜蛋白。由于双亲分子可以进行化学标记或功能化，并且它们与膜蛋白形成非常稳定的复合物，它们还可以用于间接使那些膜蛋白功能化，这开启了许多新的应用。在简要回顾双亲分子和膜蛋白/双亲分子复合物的性质之后，本文提供了这些不同领域最近进展的最新情况。
