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Related Concept Videos

Protein Translocation Machinery on the ER Membrane01:28

Protein Translocation Machinery on the ER Membrane

The translocon complex situated on the ER membrane is the main gateway for the protein secretory pathway. It facilitates the transport of nascent peptides into the ER lumen and their insertion into the ER membrane.
Sec61 protein conducting channel
In eukaryotes, the translocon complex comprises a core heterotrimeric translocator channel called the Sec61 complex. This channel includes three transmembrane proteins, Sec61α, Sec61β, and Sec61γ, and is the largest subunit of the translocon complex.
Proteomics01:33

Proteomics

A proteome is the entire set of proteins that a cell type produces. We can study proteomes using the knowledge of genomes because genes code for mRNAs, and the mRNAs encode proteins. Although mRNA analysis is a step in the right direction, not all mRNAs are translated into proteins.
Proteomics is the study of proteomes' function. It involves the large-scale systematic study of the proteome to denote the protein complement expressed by a genome. Scientist Mark Wilkins coined the term proteomics...
Insertion of Single-pass Transmembrane Proteins in the RER01:26

Insertion of Single-pass Transmembrane Proteins in the RER

Integral membrane proteins are proteins adhered to the lipid bilayer of a cell organelle or membrane. They can be of two types: transmembrane integral proteins that span the lipid bilayer and monotopic proteins that are attached to either side of the membrane but do not pass through it.
Integral transmembrane proteins possess transmembrane and extra membrane domains. The transmembrane domains are primarily made of 20-25 hydrophobic amino acids arranged in a helical secondary confirmation. These...
Structure of Porins01:21

Structure of Porins

Mitochondria, chloroplasts, and gram-negative bacteria have transmembrane, beta-barrel proteins called porins to mediate the free diffusion of ions and metabolites across the membrane. Mitochondrial porin precursors contain conserved amino acid sequences called beta signals at their C-terminal. Beta signals have a  motif of PoXGXXHyXHy (Po-Polar, X-Any amino acid, G-Glycine, Hy-LargeHydrophobic), which are crucial for precursor recognition to initiate precursor assembly. Beta-barrel precursors...
Structural Protein Function01:56

Structural Protein Function

Structural proteins are a category of proteins responsible for functions ranging from cell shape and movement to providing support to major structures such as bones, cartilage, hair, and muscles. This group includes proteins such as collagen, actin, myosin, and keratin.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in mammals, is found throughout the body. In connective tissue, such as skin, ligaments, and tendons, it provides tensile strength and elasticity.  In bones and teeth, it mineralizes to form...
Structural Protein Function01:56

Structural Protein Function

Structural proteins are a category of proteins responsible for functions ranging from cell shape and movement to providing support to major structures such as bones, cartilage, hair, and muscles. This group includes proteins such as collagen, actin, myosin, and keratin.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in mammals, is found throughout the body. In connective tissue, such as skin, ligaments, and tendons, it provides tensile strength and elasticity.  In bones and teeth, it mineralizes to form...

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New tools in membrane protein determination.

F1000 biology reports·2011
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Membrane-SPINE: A Biochemical Tool to Identify Protein-protein Interactions of Membrane Proteins In Vivo
10:53

Membrane-SPINE: A Biochemical Tool to Identify Protein-protein Interactions of Membrane Proteins In Vivo

Published on: November 7, 2013

Unlocking the eukaryotic membrane protein structural proteome.

John Kyongwon Lee1, Robert Michael Stroud

  • 1Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, S-412C Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158-2517, United States.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|August 27, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Expressing complex eukaryotic membrane proteins requires specialized eukaryotic cell systems for proper folding and function. Bacterial expression is often insufficient, limiting structural studies of crucial human proteins.

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Expression and Purification of the Human Lipid-sensitive Cation Channel TRPC3 for Structural Determination by Single-particle Cryo-electron Microscopy
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Expression and Purification of the Human Lipid-sensitive Cation Channel TRPC3 for Structural Determination by Single-particle Cryo-electron Microscopy

Published on: January 7, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Most known membrane protein structures are from bacterial sources or natural eukaryotic sources.
  • Eukaryotic membrane proteins, particularly those with multiple membrane-spanning domains, are challenging to express heterologously in bacterial systems.
  • Successful expression often necessitates eukaryotic cellular machinery for correct folding and post-translational modifications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review challenges and advances in expressing eukaryotic and human membrane proteins for structural determination.
  • To highlight the need for eukaryotic expression systems for complex membrane proteins.
  • To discuss tools for crystallization and structure determination of these proteins.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on membrane protein expression and structural studies.
  • Analysis of limitations in bacterial expression systems for eukaryotic membrane proteins.
  • Discussion of eukaryotic expression strategies and their successes.

Main Results:

  • Eukaryotic expression systems are essential for obtaining structures of complex eukaryotic membrane proteins.
  • Heterologous expression in bacteria yields limited success for eukaryotic membrane proteins.
  • Significant progress has been made in tools for membrane protein crystallization and structure determination.

Conclusions:

  • Eukaryotic expression systems are critical for advancing the structural understanding of human and pathogen membrane proteins.
  • Overcoming expression challenges is key to studying membrane proteins vital for human health.
  • Recent advancements facilitate the structure determination of challenging membrane protein targets.