The substituted-cysteine accessibility method (SCAM) to elucidate membrane protein structure

Curr Protoc Neurosci. 2001 May:Chapter 4:Unit 4.15. doi: 10.1002/0471142301.ns0415s08.

Abstract

The substituted-cysteine accessibility method (SCAM) provides an approach to identifying the residues in the membrane-spanning segments that line a channel, transporter, or binding-site crevice. SCAM can also be used to determine differences in the structures of the membrane-spanning segments in different functional states of the proteins, to map electrostatic potential in the membrane-spanning domains, and to size a channel or binding-site crevice. The protocol in this unit describes the use of SCAM to map the binding-site crevice of a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) which binds ligand within the transmembrane portion of the receptor.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics*
  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / chemistry
  • Cell Membrane / genetics
  • Chromosome Mapping / methods*
  • Cysteine / chemistry
  • Cysteine / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry*
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Mutation
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Sulfhydryl Reagents / chemistry

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Sulfhydryl Reagents
  • Cysteine