A reconstitution method for integral membrane proteins in hybrid lipid-polymer vesicles for enhanced functional durability

Hybrid vesicles composed of lipids and block copolymers hold promise for increasing liposome stability and providing a stable environment for membrane proteins. Recently we reported the successful functional reconstitution of the integral membrane protein cytochrome bo3 (ubiquinol oxidase) into hybrid vesicles composed of a blend of phospholipids and a block copolymer (PBd-PEO). We demonstrated that these novel membrane environments stabilise the enzymes' activity, prolonging their functional lifetime [Chem. Commun. 52 (2016) 11020-11023]. This approach holds great promise for applications of membrane proteins where enhanced durability, stability and shelf-life will be essential to creating a viable technology. Here we present a detailed account of our methods for membrane protein reconstitution into hybrid vesicles and discuss tips and challenges when using block copolymers compared to pure phospholipid systems that are more common materials for this purpose. We also extend the characterisation of these hybrid vesicles beyond what we have previously reported and show: (i) hybrid membranes are less permeable to protons than phospholipid bilayers; (ii) extended enzyme activity data is presented over a period of 500 days, which fully reveals the truly remarkable enhancement in functional lifetime that hybrid vesicles facilitate.