title: Pore-forming protein structure analysis in membranes using multiple independent fluorescence techniques.
abstract: A large number of transmembrane proteins form aqueous pores or channels in the phospholipid bilayer, but the structural bases of pore formation and assembly have been determined experimentally for only a few of the proteins and protein complexes. The polypeptide segments that form the transmembrane pore and the secondary structure that creates the aqueous-lipid interface can be identified using multiple independent fluorescence techniques (MIFT). The information obtained from several different, but complementary, fluorescence analyses, including measurements of emission intensity, fluorescence lifetime, accessibility to aqueous and to lipophilic quenching agents, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) can be combined to characterize the nature of the protein-membrane interaction directly and unambiguously. The assembly pathway can also be determined by measuring the kinetics of the spectral changes that occur upon pore formation. The MIFT approach therefore allows one to obtain structural information that cannot be obtained easily using alternative techniques such as crystallography. This review briefly outlines how MIFT can reveal the identity, location, conformation, and topography of the polypeptide sequences that interact with the membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, College Station 77843-1114, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandro P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Heuck
authors.forename: Arthur E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins