Detergent-free extraction polymers in membrane protein structure determination

Membrane proteins (MPs) underpin essential cellular processes, representing ~60% of drug targets, but their structural characterisation remains challenging with bottlenecks across production, solubilisation, stabilisation and biophysical analysis. Extraction with detergents can disrupt important protein lipid interactions, impacting structural and mechanistic characterisation. Alternatively, amphiphilic polymers enable direct extraction of MPs with surrounding endogenous lipids forming polymer-lipid particles (PLPs), preserving aspects of the native membrane context compatible with downstream biophysical techniques. Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has become a principal method for MP structure determination. Here, we review progress in the development and application of extraction polymers for MP structural biology, highlighting studies that demonstrate how polymer chemistry can influence protein behaviour, lipid retention and conformational sampling sometimes revealing biologically relevant states unseen when using detergents and/or systems such as nanodiscs. Finally, we discuss current limitations, outlining future directions towards rational polymer design to advance MP structural and mechanistic understanding while supporting improved drug discovery.