Structural basis of inhibition of human Na1.8 by the tarantula venom peptide Protoxin-I.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nas) selectively permit diffusion of sodium ions across the cell membrane and, in excitable cells, are responsible for propagating action potentials. One of the nine human Na isoforms, Na1.8, is a promising target for analgesics, and selective inhibitors are of interest as therapeutics.

Nanodisc scaffold peptide (NSP) replaces detergent by reconstituting acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 into peptidiscs.

To conduct biochemical studies in vitro, membrane proteins (MPs) must be solubilized with detergents. While detergents are great tools, they can also inhibit the biological activity and/or perturb oligomerization of individual MPs. Nanodisc scaffold peptide (NSP), an amphipathic peptide analog of ApoA1, was recently shown to reconstitute detergent solubilized MPs into peptidiscs in vitro.

A simple method to disrupt and restore subunit interaction of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 1.

Acyl-CoA:cholestereol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) is a two-fold dimer (homotetramer) and has two distinct dimerization domains. One domain is in an alpha-helical rich region near the cytoplasmic N-terminus. The other is proposed to be near the C-terminus where multiple transmembrane domains promote hydrophobic interactions between two ACAT1 subunits.

Triton X-100 or octyl glucoside inactivates acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 by dissociating it from a two-fold dimer to a two-fold monomer.

Cholesterol is an important lipid molecule and is needed for all mammalian cells. In various cell types, excess cholesterol is stored as cholesteryl esters; acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) plays an essential role in this storage process. ACAT1 is located at the endoplasmic reticulum and has nine transmembrane domains (TMDs).