Purification and biochemical characterisation of the yeast ABC transporter Pdr11p: towards unravelling the sterol transport mechanism

Research output: Book/ReportPh.D. thesisResearch

  • Katrine Rude Laub
Sterols constitute an essential lipid class in eukaryotic membranes where intracellular distributions are highly regulated. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae sterol uptake has been attributed to the two plasma membrane-localised ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, Aus1p and Pdr11p. These ATP-powered transporters are proposed to mediate inter- and transbilayer sterol migration, but their exact role and key features of their activity remain to be elucidated. The complexity of the native membrane hampers the study of membrane transporters at the molecular level. To achieve a detailed understanding of their action and molecular functioning, it is helpful to focus on homogeneous preparations of membrane proteins reconstituted into model membranes like detergent micelles, liposomes, and nanodiscs. In the present study, I report the first successful expression, purification, and reconstitution of the yeast ABC transporter Pdr11p. This includes optimising its overexpression utilising the galactose induction system in S. cerevisiae, screening for the best detergent to extract the protein from the membrane, and establishing purification and reconstitution protocols. By providing a purification/reconstitution protocol and adding new insight to the biochemical behaviour of Pdr11p this work paves for future studies to unravel the sterol transport mechanism.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherDepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen
Publication statusPublished - 2017

ID: 181414139