Direct Determination of Hierarchical Organization of Membrane Proteins and Lipids Using a Tunable Lipid Bilayer NativeMS Platform

Multimeric organization of membrane proteins (MP) and lipids at the cell membrane is fundamental to all living organisms. A comprehensive analysis of MPs and their complexes thus demands a platform that allows nativeMS analysis of the MPs directly from their lipid bilayer environment. Addressing this, we have developed a novel tunable in-vitro nativeMS platform that allows direct detection of organization of MPs and bound lipids from membranes that can be customized to mimic any target physiological membrane, both in terms of its lipid composition as well as biophysical properties, such as curvature, fluidity, and tension.