ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Elucidating the mechanism of bicelles spreading to fabricate sup-ported membranes containing an active transmembrane protein

Abstract: Transmembrane proteins participate in numerous cellular processes, but their investigation is complicated by the compositional complexity of biological membranes. In particular, G protein-coupled receptors, which represent targets for nearly 50% of pharmaceuticals, require well-defined model membrane systems for functional studies and drug development. Bicelles are attractive assemblies, because they can host transmembrane proteins and spread into planar supported lipid bilayers on solid surfaces. We fabricated bicelles with rhod(opsin) (dark-adapted and photoactivated) from outer segments of rod photoreceptor cells and developed a new methodology for the modification and activation of a monolayer deposited on the gold surface to anchor the N-terminus of rhod(opsin) and to form membranes with a uniformly oriented membrane protein. Bicelle spreading into a floating membrane was monitored by surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance measurements. The IR spectra revealed characteristic lipid and protein absorption bands, confirming a native fold of rhod(opsin). However, structural parameters such as the membrane thickness, hydration, protein distribution, and the architecture of the spacer layer, could not be elucidated from our previous experiments. Neutron reflectometry offers a powerful approach to determine these parameters and to elucidate the compositional and structural changes during the formation of model membranes.

Principal Investigator: Dr Izabella Brand
Local Contact: Dr Maxmilian Skoda
Experimenter: Mr Patryk Bielski
Experimenter: Ms Justyna Bo?ek

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2600026

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2600026

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Izabella Brand et al; (2026): Elucidating the mechanism of bicelles spreading to fabricate sup-ported membranes containing an active transmembrane protein, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2600026

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.