The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III proteins are known to assemble into filaments that mediate membrane remodeling and fission in various biological processes, including the formation of endosomal multivesicular bodies, viral budding, cytokinesis, plasma membrane repair, nuclear pore quality control, nuclear envelope reformation, and neuron pruning. The study of the regulation and function of ESCRT-III proteins is therefore crucial to understand these events and requires a combination of in vivo and in vitro experimental techniques. Here we describe two protocols for the purification of human and Drosophila ESCRT-III proteins from bacteria and their use in in vitro phosphorylation assays and atomic force microscopy experiments on membrane lipid bilayers. These protocols can also be applied for the purification of other proteins that are insoluble when expressed in bacteria.
