Purification and validation of lipid transfer proteins

Abstract

Understanding the holistic picture of lipid homeostasis not only involves the analysis of synthesis and breakdown of lipids but also requires a thorough understanding of their transport. The transport of lipid monomers in an aqueous environment is facilitated by different lipid transfer proteins. Their universal feature is the shielding or encapsulation of the hydrophobic part of the lipid, consequently overcoming the poor solubility of lipids in water. Here we describe a method to purify lipid transfer proteins using bacterial expression. We also present three methods to validate their transfer activity.