Evaluation of Membrane Protein Properties by Fluorescence-Detection Size-Exclusion Chromatography (FSEC) Using an HPLC System

Membrane proteins have garnered attention as keystones for research of important biological phenomena and as target molecules for drugs. In order to determine the structure of membrane proteins, it is crucial to evaluate the level of expression and stability of numerous samples in a simple and convenient manner, and select “highly expressed” and “highly stable” membrane proteins as the target of structural analysis.
This article introduces fluorescence-detection size-exclusion chromatography, developed as an experimental system for screening of these proteins, citing specific applications employed at Nureki Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo.