title: A fluorinated detergent for membrane-protein applications.
abstract: 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 F6 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, F6 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.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biophysics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Str. 13, 67663 Kaiserslautern (Germany).
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frotscher
authors.forename: Bartholomäus
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Danielczak
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meister
authors.forename: Grégory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D003902:Detergents / Q000737:chemistry*; D054879:Halogenation; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008823:Micelles; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry; D058849:Protein Refolding; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008823:Micelles; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C028694:1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine
keywords: biomembranes; liposomes; micelles; proteins; surfactants