Understanding the Molecular Basis of the Membrane Transport Protein Domain
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 256
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Membrane transport is an important phenomenon in living organisms that plays a critical role in nutrition, signalling, ion homeostasis, metabolite deposition, and many other cellular processes and, thus, maintains cellular homeostasis. Membrane transport proteins constitute ≈10–15% of most proteomes and play vital roles in the translocation of solute carriers across membranes of all organisms. Any aberration/dysfunction in the membrane transport proteins are implicated in many patho-physiological conditions, making them frequent targets for pharmacotherapy. The identification of substrates for members of this large protein family, with still many unknown functions, has proven difficult, in part because high-throughput screening is greatly complicated by endogenous transporters present in many expression systems. Additionally, structural studies require that transporters be extracted from the membrane with detergent, thereby impeding activity measurements. Due to the hydrophobic nature of the membrane transport proteins, they are refractory to direct manipulation and can only be removed from the membrane in the presence of detergent, which also preserves their solubility. Considering these difficulties with the membrane transport proteins, it is evident why, to date, only very few (1.5–2%) unique membrane protein structures have been determined. Moreover, fewer than 1% of unique structures in the Protein Databank (PDB) are membrane proteins, whereas they represent about 30% of all proteins in the cell. Nevertheless, there is clinical and commercial interest in inhibiting the activities of some membrane proteins, optimizing the activities of others, and employing them as transducers of electrical/chemical/mechanical energy for biosensors and in nanotechnology. With all these limitations in mind, a comprehensive structural and functional study of the membrane transport proteins would be highly beneficial for the membrane trafficking field and such research will open up new avenues to explore for future studies.
Therefore, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the membrane transport protein domain, we invite researchers to submit original and review articles on “Understanding the Molecular Basis of the Membrane Transport Protein Domain”. This Special Issue will collect comprehensive manuscripts and provide valuable insight for the scientific community, ranging from basic to clinical research. Original research articles, timely reviews, and short communications are all welcome.
Dr. Mintu Chandra
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- membrane transport proteins
- membrane trafficking
- signaling
- homeostasis
- structural analysis
- pathophysiology
- pharmacotherapy
- substrates
- high-throughput screening
- hydrophobicity
- transducers
- detergent
- Protein Data Bank (PDB)
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