Solution to PS 6 #10
Detergent breaks the non-covalent hydrophobic interactions between
the fatty acyl tails of the lipids and the non-polar regions on the integral
membrane protein. The detergent then supplies its non-polar components
to interact with the proteins and in turn allows the highly non-polar protein
to be solubilized in water based media. No covalent bonds are
broken.
Return to Problem Set #6