Figure 1.

Schematic depiction of discoidal and spherical nanolipoproteins with embedded cargo. (A) Discoidal apolipoprotein-based nanostructures (nanodiscs) are composed of a bilayer of phospholipids (grey) with amphipathic α-helices of apolipoproteins (blue) circumscribing the bilayer. (B) Cross-section of a spherical lipoprotein composed of a monolayer of phospholipids and small apo-based helical peptides. The phospholipid interior offers an ideal environment to embed hydrophobic and/or amphipathic biomolecules (yellow).