title: Reconstitution of the SecY translocon in nanodiscs.
abstract: Secretory proteins are transported across the bacterial envelope using a membrane protein complex called the SecY channel or translocon. Major advances in understanding this transporter have been accomplished with methods including purification, crystallization, and reconstitution of the translocation reaction in vitro. We here describe the incorporation of the SecY complex into supported nanometer scale lipid bilayers called Nanodiscs. These nanoparticles mimic a membrane environment and circumvent many of the technical problems typically observed with liposomes and detergent micelles. The technology is simple, yet should lead to additional new progresses in the field of membrane protein transport.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Kush
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dalal
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duong
mesh_terms: D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry; D008954:Models, Biological; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D021381:Protein Transport; D000069816:SEC Translocation Channels
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D000069816:SEC Translocation Channels; C057841:SecY protein, E coli