Lipidic cubic phases (LCPs) are nanostructured biomaterials made up a curved lipidic bilayer that defines two identical water channels. They have been employed as matrices for sensing biodevices,[1] drug delivery,[2] protein crystallization,[3,4] and membrane protein reconstitution.[5] Their employment in structural membrane biology has achieved crystals of protein previously considered impossible to crystallise.[4] The molecular shape of the lipid, the composition, and temperature affect the lipidic bilayer stability and curvature, with a substantial effect on the diffusion of lipids and water molecules.[6]
A cyclopropanated family of synthetic lipids was shown to form unique LCPs stable at low temperature,[7,8] with vast potential for low temperature applications, including the stabilization of thermally unstable proteins, and their characterization by low temperature reconstitution or crystallization studies. As a proof of concept, we utilised them to crystalise a model membrane protein at 4°C.[7]