CRYSTALLIZATION OF MEMBRANE-PROTEINS

Five new membrane protein structures have been determined since 1995 u sing X-ray crystallography: bacterial light-harvesting complex; bacter ial and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidases; mitochondrial bc(1) compl ex; and a-hemolysin. These successes are partly based on advances in t he crystallization procedures for integral membrane proteins. Variatio n of the size of the detergent micelle and/or increasing the size of t he polar surface of the membrane protein is the most important route t o well-ordered membrane protein crystals. The use of bicontinuous lipi dic cubic phases also appears to be promising. (C) Current Biology Ltd ISSN 0959-440X