Analyzing Protein-Lipid Interactions by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Membranes comprise mainly proteins, sterol molecules, and lipids, which serve a role in various biochemical functions, including cell–cell recognition, respiration, photosynthesis, and transmission of nerve impulses. In an effort to correlate the structures of membranes to their biological activities, substantial attempts have been spent striving to depict the structure of the molecule and its intermolecular interplay among individual membrane components. This chapter confers the current advances in enhancing our comprehension of membrane structure as determined by NMR spectroscopic approaches. NMR spectroscopy has made significant contributions in delineating lipid–protein interactions and plasma membranes. This chapter reviews the techniques utilized for detecting the impact of proteins on cellular membranes, along with the direct interactions between lipids and proteins. The subsequent instances from the current literature provide a summary of the method’s proficiency, followed by a conclusion on potential future developments of the present technology.