Lipid-Gating and Lipid-Protein Interactions in Ion Channels

Dear Colleagues,

Ion channels are permeation pathways for the transfer of ions across the lipid barrier of biological membranes. Thereby, channel molecules are a pivotal element of signal transduction in virtually all cell membranes, and essential for the control of cell- and tissue functions. Operation of these signaling proteins is tightly linked to their membrane lipid environment, involving abundant communication pathways between the pore-forming protein complexes and their surrounding lipid bilayer. The impact of lipids and of lipid metabolism on channel function is still incompletely understood and considered to involve a variety of mechanistic concepts, ranging from physical effects of bulk lipid to specific lipid-protein interactions of non-annular lipids, which bind specifically to sites within crevices and clefts of ion channel complexes. Ion channel-lipid communication appears crucially involved in various human pathologies and has become in focus of therapeutic developments. Current progress in high-resolution analysis of channel structures, including the identification of lipid species immersed within pore complexes, along with technological advances allowing for unprecedented insight into lipid-protein interactions, have opened new avenues towards deciphering these key processes of physiology and pathophysiology. The scope of this Special Issue of Biomolecules is to compile information on timely issues of ion channel-lipid communication, ranging from mechanistic aspects of lipid-gating in ion channels to structural insight into lipid coordination within channel complexes, new approaches for computational modeling of lipid-channel interactions and emerging pathophysiological as well as therapeutic concepts.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Groschner
Prof. Dr. Christoph Romanin
Guest Editors

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