Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Structural Investigations of Membrane-Associated Proteins by Neutron Reflectometry

Published

Author(s)

Rebecca Eells, David Hoogerheide, Paul A. Kienzle, Mathias Loesche, Charles Majkrzak, Frank Heinrich

Abstract

Neutron reflectometry is a powerful technique for probing the structure of lipid bilayer membranes and membrane-associated proteins. Measurements of the specular neutron reflectivity as a function of momentum transfer can be performed in aqueous environments, and inversion of the resulting reflectivity data yields structural profiles along the membrane normal with a spatial resolution approaching a fraction of a nanometer. With the inherent ability of the neutron to penetrate macroscopic distances through surrounding material, neutron reflectivity measurements provide unique structural information on biomimetic, fully hydrated model membranes and associated proteins under physiological conditions. A particular strength of neutron reflectometry is in the characterization of structurally and conformationally flexible peripheral membrane proteins. The unique ability of neutron scattering to differentiate hydrogen from selectively substituted deuterium enables the resolution of individual constituents of membrane-bound protein-protein complexes. Integrative modeling strategies that supplement the low-resolution reflectometry data with complimentary experimental and computational information yield high-resolution three-dimensional models of membrane-bound protein structures.
Citation
Characterization of Biological Membranes
Publisher Info
De Gruyter, Berlin, -1

Keywords

neutron reflectometry, membrane proteins

Citation

Eells, R. , Hoogerheide, D. , Kienzle, P. , Loesche, M. , Majkrzak, C. and Heinrich, F. (2019), Structural Investigations of Membrane-Associated Proteins by Neutron Reflectometry, De Gruyter, Berlin, -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=925867 (Accessed December 8, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created June 30, 2019, Updated October 12, 2021