Light as a Tool to Manipulate the Structure and Function of Membranes and Membrane Proteins
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editor
Interests: membrane transport; interfacial protons; water channels; protein–membrane translocation; membrane domains
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue "Light as a Tool to Manipulate the Structure and Function of Membranes and Membrane Proteins" in Biomolecules. This Special Issue will focus on the rapidly growing field of light-sensitive molecular tools and their applications in membrane biophysics.
Light offers exceptional spatial and temporal precision in modulating biological function. In recent years, optogenetic and photopharmacological approaches have enabled the precise control of membrane protein activity, membrane permeability, ion transport, and signaling cascades. This Special Issue seeks to showcase both mechanistic studies and applications of light-responsive molecules that influence membrane transport, including channelrhodopsins, photo-switchable lipids, light-gated ion channels, and synthetic photoresponsive carriers.
We particularly welcome contributions that do the following:
- Develop or apply light-sensitive tools to control membrane transport processes.
- Investigate structure–function relationships of light-gated or light-modulated membrane proteins.
- Use photoactivation to probe membrane dynamics, lipid–protein interactions, or domain organization.
- Explore therapeutic or biotechnological applications of light-based modulation in transport systems.
In this Special Issue, both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Optogenetics in membrane transport;
- Photopharmacology targeting membrane proteins;
- Photoswitchable lipids and light-controlled domain formation;
- Light-controlled ion or water channels;
- Mechanistic insights into light-induced conformational changes;
- Development of novel photoresponsive transport systems.
We look forward to receiving your contributions and to highlighting this exciting intersection of photobiology and membrane research.
Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Peter Pohl
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- photopharmacology
- optogenetics
- membrane transport
- light-gated channels
- photoswitchable lipids
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