Chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for nanodisc purification and analysis

Soluble nanoscale lipid bilayers, termed nanodiscs, are widely used in science for studying the membrane-anchored and integral membrane protein complexes under defined experimental conditions. Although their formation occurs by a self-assembly process, nanodisc purification and the verification of proper reconstitution are still major challenges during the sample preparation. This review gives an overview of the methods used for purifying and analyzing nanodiscs and nanodisc-reconstituted membrane proteins, with an emphasis on the chromatographic and electrophoretic approaches.