Table 1.
Advantages and limitations of different chemical tools for MP structural studies.
| Advantages | Limitations | |
|---|---|---|
| Detergents | - Highly versatile | - Often too harsh - Less than ideal membrane mimic - High background in cryoEM - Poor crystal quality for MPs with small soluble domains |
| Polymers | - Gentler alternative to detergents | - Most do not directly extract MPs |
| MSPs | - Used for encompassing nanodiscs - Most native-like membrane mimic - Great for cryoEM |
- Do not directly extract MPs - Not suitable for crystallography |
|
Lipid Mesophases |
- Membrane-like environment - Support crystallization |
- Not suitable for cryoEM - Limited range of host lipids |
| Ligands | - Provide synergistic stabilization - Can be covalently attached |
- Not available for many MPs |