Effects of Urea on the Microstructure and Phase Behavior of Aqueous Solutions of Poly(oxyethylene) Surfactants

Membrane proteins are made soluble in aqueous buffers by the addition of various surfactants (detergents) to form so-called protein−detergent complexes (PDCs). Properties of membrane proteins are commonly assessed by unfolding the protein in the presence of surfactant in a buffer solution by adding urea. The stability of the protein under these conditions is then monitored by biophysical methods such as fluorescence or circular dichroism...