Why are integral membrane proteins difficult to study?
A)They are difficult to isolate in soluble form due to their hydrophobic transmembrane domains.
B)They are difficult to isolate in soluble form due to their hydrophilic transmembrane domains.
C)They are so small.
D)They are so large.
E)None of these are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Integral membrane proteins are difficult to study because they are embedded in the lipid bilayer of cell membranes, and often have hydrophobic transmembrane domains that are difficult to solubilize and isolate in a biologically active form. Their hydrophobic nature also makes them prone to aggregation, making it difficult to obtain high-resolution structural information by traditional techniques such as X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy.

Why Are Integral Membrane Proteins Difficult to Study