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Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases
Published on: March 28, 2011
Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Cubic Phases as Versatile Host Matrices for Membrane-Bound Enzymes
Wenjie Sun1, Jijo J Vallooran1, Wye-Khay Fong1,2
1Food and Soft Materials Science, Department of Health Science and Technology, ETH Zurich , Schmelzbergstrasse 9, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Lyotropic liquid crystalline cubic mesophases can function as host matrices for enzymes because of their biomimetic structural characteristics, optical transparency, and capability to coexist with water. This study demonstrates that the in meso immobilized membrane-bound enzyme d-fructose dehydrogenase (FDH) preserves its full activity, follows ideal Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and shows improved stability compared to its behavior in solution. Even after 5 days, the immobilized FDH retained its full activity in meso, whereas a model hydrophilic enzyme, horseradish peroxidase, maintained only 21% of its original activity. We reason that the lipidic bilayers in the three-dimensional structures of cubic mesophases provide an ideal environment for the reconstitution of a membrane-bound enzyme. The preserved activity, long-term stability, and reusability demonstrate that these hybrid nanomaterials are ideal matrices for biosensing and biocatalytic fuel cell applications.
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