Functionalized amphipols: a versatile toolbox suitable for applications of membrane proteins in synthetic biology

Amphipols are amphipathic polymers that stabilize membrane proteins isolated from their native membrane. They have been functionalized with various chemical groups in the past years for protein labeling and protein immobilization. This large toolbox of functionalized amphipols combined with their interesting physico-chemical properties give opportunities to selectively add multiple functionalities to membrane proteins and to tune them according to the needs. This unique combination of properties makes them one of the most versatile strategies available today for exploiting membrane proteins onto surfaces for various applications in synthetic biology. This review summarizes the properties of functionalized amphipols suitable for synthetic biology approaches.