膜蛋白的研究包括对膜蛋白在细胞内的运输和定位、膜蛋白的结构和功能、以及膜蛋白和其他蛋白质问的相互作用等方面的研究。在研究过程中,如果能够基于膜蛋白的拓扑学结构预测,选择合适的表位标签,利用基因融合技术在基因水平上对膜蛋白进行改造,可以产生含有表位标签的重组膜蛋白,不仅具有原有膜蛋白的功能活性,还能够被抗体特异性识别,并且结合相关的免疫荧光检测技术,将会极大地促进膜蛋白的结构和功能研究。本文就目前膜蛋白研究中所涉及的表位标签技术及其应用策略和所取得的进展作一简述。
The research on membrane proteins aims to investigate subcellular trafficking and localization of membrane proteins, structural and functional characterization of membrane proteins, and interactions between membrane proteins and other relevant proteins. Based on the topological prediction of membrane proteins of interest, appropriate epitope tags are selected and fused to membrane proteins at genetic level with gene fusion technology. Resultant tagged membrane proteins may have functions of original membrane proteins together with biochemical properties of the imparted fusion tags that can be recognized by specific antibodies, which greatly enhance the functional and structural study of membrane proteins by means of techniques such as immunotechnology. In this article, the latest bibliography related to applications, strategies, and approaches of epitope tagging technology in membrane proteins research are reviewed.