Nanodiscs for structural biology in a membranous environment

The structures of many membrane proteins have been analyzed in detergent micelles. However, the environment of detergent micelles differs somewhat from that of the lipid bilayer, where membrane proteins exhibit physiological functions. Therefore, a more membrane-like environment has been awaited for structural analysis of membrane proteins. Nanodiscs are “hockey-puck”-shaped lipid bilayer particles that distribute in a monodispersed manner in aqueous solution. We review how nanodiscs or protein-reconstituted nanodiscs are prepared and how they are utilized to analyze protein structure, dynamics, and interactions with lipid molecules using solution NMR and cryo-electron microscopy.