Lightly counting membrane proteins in native nanodiscs

To determine the physiologically relevant oligomeric form of membrane proteins is extremely challenging. Now an elegant method of counting the oligomers in membrane proteins in near-native states is presented, using photobleaching and nanodiscs formed directly from cellular membranes.

Nearly a third of all proteins within a cell are associated with membranes. These proteins perform diverse functions as receptors, transporters, ion channels and enzymes. Many of these membrane proteins are produced as monomers that oligomerize in specific stoichiometries to form the functional unit. For…