Premium
A Fluorinated Detergent for Membrane‐Protein Applications
Author(s) -
Frotscher Erik,
Danielczak Bartholomäus,
Vargas Carolyn,
Meister Annette,
Durand Grégory,
Keller Sandro
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201412359
Subject(s) - membrane , pulmonary surfactant , chemistry , bilayer , micelle , fluorocarbon , vesicle , integral membrane protein , lipid bilayer , phospholipid , amphiphile , solubilization , organic chemistry , membrane protein , combinatorial chemistry , chemical engineering , aqueous solution , biochemistry , copolymer , polymer , engineering
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 F 6 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, F 6 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.