Amphiphilic Maleic Acid and Malemide Copolymers (xMAs) with Enhanced Bioactivity for Protein Solubilization
The Problem
Membrane proteins are the major target for drug design; however, isolation has traditionally required non-ionic detergents that can disrupt supramolecular complexes and/or lead to a loss of activity. This isolation challenge, combined with their often-low expression levels, makes it challenging to study their structure and function. Styrene-maleic acid (SMA) is a polymer that can replace detergents and extract highly active proteins in polymeric nanodiscs from biomembranes. However, this field is new and relies on polymers for industrial applications that are not optimized for protein isolation. Improved methods for the design and selection of SMAs are limited by a poor understanding of the mechanism of SMA-facilitated protein solubilization.
The Solution
Researchers at the University of Tennessee have developed a new series of modified SMA’s with enhanced protein solubilization. These copolymers exhibit dramatically improved bioactivity and can be used to enable the non-detergent isolation of membrane proteins. The modified SMA copolymers developed have applications in pharmaceuticals, bioenergy, protein isolation, drug delivery, and the food industry.
Benefits
| Benefit |
|---|
| Enables non-detergent protein extraction |
| Exhibits enhanced membrane activity |
| Improves protein solubilization |
| Generates uniform lipid particles |
| Permits mechanistic insight into SMA protein extraction |
More Information
- Derek Eitzmann, Ph.D.
- Assistant Technology Manager, Multi Campus Office
- 865-974-1882 | deitzman@tennessee.edu
- UTRF Reference ID: 21151
- Patent Status:
Innovators
Dr. Barry Bruce
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, Adjunct Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Dr. Bruce received his Ph.D. from University of California Berkeley in 1990. His research interests include bioengineering of transit peptide recognition, photonics and applied photosynthesis, and nanoencapsulation of antimicrobial peptides.
Read more about Dr. Barry BruceDr. Brian Long
Professor, Department of Chemistry, UT Knoxville
Dr. Long received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. He also completed a postdoc at Cornell University from 2009-2011. His research interests include the design and synthesis of functional polymeric materials, and the development and utilization of next-generation polymerization catalysts.
Read more about Dr. Brian Long