Membrane protein-based biosensors

This review highlights recent development of biosensors that use the functions of membrane proteins. Membrane proteins are essential components of biological membranes and have a central role in detection of various environmental stimuli such as olfaction and gustation. A number of studies have attempted for development of biosensors using the sensing property of these membrane proteins. Their specificity to target molecules is particularly attractive as it is significantly superior to that of traditional human-made sensors. In this review, we classified the membrane protein-based biosensors into two platforms: the lipid bilayer-based platform and the cell-based platform. On lipid bilayer platforms, the membrane proteins are embedded in a lipid bilayer that bridges between the protein and a sensor device. On cell-based platforms, the membrane proteins are expressed in a cultured cell, which is then integrated in a sensor device. For both platforms we introduce the fundamental information and the recent progress in the development of the biosensors, and remark on the outlook for practical biosensing applications.