Scientists created more realistic tiny membrane models (nanodiscs) that contain several types of lipids, and used a special mass‑spectrometry method to see how the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 sticks to these membranes. They found that LL‑37 behaves differently depending on the lipid mix, especially showing a preference for bacterial‑like membranes.

Native mass spectrometry (MS) with nanodiscs is a promising technique for characterizing membrane protein and peptide interactions in lipid bilayers. However, prior studies have used nanodiscs made of only one or two lipids, which lack the complexity of a natural lipid bilayer. To better model specific biological membranes, we developed model mammalian, bacterial, and mitochondrial nanodiscs with up to four different phospholipids. Careful selection of lipids with similar masses that balance the fluidity and curvature enabled these complex nanodiscs to be assembled and resolved with native MS. We then applied this approach to characterize the specificity and incorporation of LL-37, a human antimicrobial peptide, in single-lipid nanodiscs versus model bacterial nanodiscs. Overall, development of these model membrane nanodiscs reveals new insights into the assembly of complex nanodiscs and provides a useful toolkit for studying membrane protein, peptide, and lipid interactions in model biological membranes.