Mass photometry and its expanding role in membrane protein research: The Torpedo marmorata nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as case study
Abstract
Integral membrane proteins (IMPs) are challenging, yet highly relevant targets for structural biology. Selection of the appropriate membrane mimic environment necessitates extensive optimization using a combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques. We report here on the expanding role of mass photometry (MP) as an in-solution technique to enable single-particle analysis of IMPs. To showcase MP versatility, we present a selection of examples of MP applications for IMP analysis, using nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) extracted from Torpedo marmorata as case study, together with additional literature examples. We further illustrate how MP supports the screening of purification conditions, and the quality control of samples prior to cryo-electron microscopy grid preparation or native mass spectrometry. The benefits of MP for IMP characterization are illustrated through its ability to quantify single-molecule populations, study membrane biomolecular assemblies, and characterize membrane-associated phenomena from very low amounts of starting material. MP therefore stands out as a unique biophysical tool that combines rapid analysis with broad adaptability to most solubilizing environments, enabling simultaneous relative quantification of all detected species in a highly user-friendly manner.
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BibTeX
@article{delaux2026mass,
title = {{Mass photometry and its expanding role in membrane protein research: The Torpedo marmorata nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as case study}},
author = {Sarah Delaux and Korantin Le Mouël and Nathalie Barilone and Jerome Castel and Marie Prevost and Oscar Hernandez-Alba and Pierre-Jean Corringer and Manuela Zoonens and Sarah Cianférani},
journal = {Biochimica et Biophysica Acta:Biomembranes},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.bbamem.2026.184574},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05768895v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mass photometry and its expanding role in membrane protein research: The Torpedo marmorata nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as case study
AU - Sarah Delaux
AU - Korantin Le Mouël
AU - Nathalie Barilone
AU - Jerome Castel
AU - Marie Prevost
AU - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
AU - Pierre-Jean Corringer
AU - Manuela Zoonens
AU - Sarah Cianférani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
JO - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta:Biomembranes
DO - 10.1016/j.bbamem.2026.184574
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05768895v1
AB - Integral membrane proteins (IMPs) are challenging, yet highly relevant targets for structural biology. Selection of the appropriate membrane mimic environment necessitates extensive optimization using a combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques. We report here on the expanding role of mass photometry (MP) as an in-solution technique to enable single-particle analysis of IMPs. To showcase MP versatility, we present a selection of examples of MP applications for IMP analysis, using nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) extracted from Torpedo marmorata as case study, together with additional literature examples. We further illustrate how MP supports the screening of purification conditions, and the quality control of samples prior to cryo-electron microscopy grid preparation or native mass spectrometry. The benefits of MP for IMP characterization are illustrated through its ability to quantify single-molecule populations, study membrane biomolecular assemblies, and characterize membrane-associated phenomena from very low amounts of starting material. MP therefore stands out as a unique biophysical tool that combines rapid analysis with broad adaptability to most solubilizing environments, enabling simultaneous relative quantification of all detected species in a highly user-friendly manner.
SN - 0005-2736
SN - 1879-2642
ER -