Producing membrane proteins one simulation at a time.

Integral membrane proteins are studied with a number of structural and biophysical techniques, many requiring protein overexpression to reach sufficient quantities. However, achievement of the overexpression of membrane proteins is not necessarily straightforward, and the mechanisms and factors that influence expression are not clearly understood. A new study has now broken through this uncertainty by demonstrating the capability of coarse-grained simulations of membrane protein insertion to predict protein expression levels in Escherichia coli.