Comparing lipid packing between nanodiscs and native membranes

Abstract

Scaffolded lipid-protein nanoparticles known as nanodiscs have become essential and widely used tools in structural and membrane biology. Amphipathic, synthetic copolymers have recently become an important alternative to protein scaffolds for the formation of membrane protein-containing nanodiscs. Since these copolymers directly intercalate into lipid membranes and form nanodiscs without detergents, they have been assumed to maintain a “native” membrane environment. While copolymer nanodiscs (CND) can be composed of native membrane lipids, it remains unclear whether these bilayers retain native membrane properties.