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

Nanodiscs are non-covalent structures that contain a phospholipid bilayer and a membrane scaffold protein (MSP), a genetically engineered protein, which mimics the function of Apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1). The first MSP, MSP1, was engineered with its sequence based on the sequence of A-1, but without the globular N-terminal domain of native A-1. The MSP1E3D1 variant of MSP1 differs from MSP1 in the following facets: It deletes the first 11 amino acids in the Helix 1 portion (referred to as “H0.5” in the accompanying figure) of the original MSP1 sequence³ (which is known separately as MSP1D1). It repeats the Helix 4 (H4), Helix 5 (H5) and Helix 6 (H6) sequences of the original MSP1 sequence between the parent Helix 6 (H6) and Helix 7 (H7) segments of MSP1D1.

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

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