Despite the significant progress made in resolving membrane protein structures, there are still obstacles to overcome, such as the use of detergent and the protein’s native environment and structure. The use of SMA nanoparticles to form nanodiscs eliminates the use of detergent and provides a native-like environment, providing the best alternative to liposomes and other methods. However, SMALPS is still a very new field, and the size of the resulting nanodiscs may have an impact on the protein’s ability to be incorporated into the membrane. By studying the effects of differing vesicle sizes that are used in the nanodisc formation, more information can be obtained about the mechanics behind SMALPS formation and provide researchers with a better understanding on forming nanodiscs of specific sizes that would best fit the membrane protein of interest. Through data collected from other studies, it can be expected that the vesicle size would have no effect on the size of the resulting SMALPS, as the data shows that the lipid to polymer ratio affects the size of the SMALP, and the vesicle size does would not necessarily alter this ratio.
Author: Ryan Mesmer
Faculty Advisor: Gary Lorigan, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Graduate Student Advisor: Rebecca Stowe, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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