Grafted biomembranes containing membrane proteins - the case of the leucine transporterElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Materials, synthesis of NTA-PEG thiols, formation and characterization of the NTA-PEG SAM, optimization of the NTA-PEG content for minimal non-specific protein binding and LeuT binding on inactivated NTA-PEG surfaces. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01490e

Here, we bind the sodium dependent amino acid transporter on nitrilotriacetic acid/polyethylene glycol functionalized gold sensors in detergents and perform a detergent-lipid exchange with phosphatidylcholine. We characterize the LeuT structure in the adsorbed film by magnetic contrast neutron reflection using the predicted model from molecular dynamic simulations. Together neutron reflection and molecular dynamics simulation offer a powerful tool to study the membrane protein structure in native-like environment.