French Swimwear for Membrane Proteins

Less is more: Novel methods for solubilizing integral membrane proteins are surveyed, including the use of amphipathic polymers, lipopeptides (see figure), and bicelles. These systems complement detergent micelle‐based methods, for example where the minimal concentration of detergent required can be high enough to damage the membrane integrity of the cells being studied, and may be extremely useful as media in which to characterize and exploit this large and important class of proteins.