Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26721399›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2016

One-pot system for synthesis, assembly, and display of functional single-span membrane proteins on oil-water interfaces.

Peter J Yunker, Haruichi Asahara, Kuo-Chan Hung, Corey Landry, Laura R Arriaga, Ilke Akartuna, John Heyman, Shaorong Chong, David A Weitz

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Functionalization of Emulsion Interfaces: Surface Chemistry Made Liquid.Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Cell-Free Synthetic Biology: Engineering Beyond the Cell.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2016
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Peter J YunkerSchool of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
Haruichi AsaharaResearch Department, New England Biolabs, Ipswich, MA 01938;
Kuo-Chan HungResearch Department, New England Biolabs, Ipswich, MA 01938;
Corey LandryDepartment of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
Laura R ArriagaSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
Ilke AkartunaSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
John HeymanSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
Shaorong ChongResearch Department, New England Biolabs, Ipswich, MA 01938; weitz@seas.harvard.edu chong@neb.com.
David A WeitzSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; weitz@seas.harvard.edu chong@neb.com.
Harvard University · USNew England Biolabs (United States) · USLouisiana State University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Single-span membrane proteins (ssMPs) represent approximately one-half of all membrane proteins and play important roles in cellular communications. However, like all membrane proteins, ssMPs are prone to misfolding and aggregation because of the hydrophobicity of transmembrane helices, making them difficult to study using common aqueous solution-based approaches. Detergents and membrane mimetics can solubilize membrane proteins but do not always result in proper folding and functionality. Here, we use cell-free protein synthesis in the presence of oil drops to create a one-pot system for the synthesis, assembly, and display of functional ssMPs. Our studies suggest that oil drops prevent aggregation of some in vitro-synthesized ssMPs by allowing these ssMPs to localize on oil surfaces. We speculate that oil drops may provide a hydrophobic interior for cotranslational insertion of the transmembrane helices and a fluidic surface for proper assembly and display of the ectodomains. These functionalized oil drop surfaces could mimic cell surfaces and allow ssMPs to interact with cell surface receptors under an environment closest to cell-cell communication. Using this approach, we showed that apoptosis-inducing human transmembrane proteins, FasL and TRAIL, synthesized and displayed on oil drops induce apoptosis of cultured tumor cells. In addition, we take advantage of hydrophobic interactions of transmembrane helices to manipulate the assembly of ssMPs and create artificial clusters on oil drop surfaces. Thus, by coupling protein synthesis with self-assembly at the water-oil interface, we create a platform that can use recombinant ssMPs to communicate with cells.

Indexed as

ApoptosisBiochemistryElectrophoresis, Polyacrylamide GelFas Ligand ProteinFluorescenceGreen Fluorescent ProteinsHumansJurkat CellsMembrane ProteinsOilsTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandWaterFas Ligand ProteinGreen Fluorescent ProteinsMembrane ProteinsOilsTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandWaterbiophysicscell-free protein synthesishydrophobicmembrane proteinself-assembly

Identifiers

PMID26721399
PMCPMC4725511
OpenAlexW2208774681

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.