Plasma Membrane Dynamics
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Structure and Dynamics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 143
Special Issue Editors
Interests: His scientific interest is focused on the mechanisms by which the cell membrane dynamically generates biological function. The models keep updating as new data becomes available: fluctuating membrane domains, proteins complex formation, cooperative events, and anomalous diffusion. His main tool of work is the High Speed Atomic Force Microscopy (HS-AFM) - a young and still semi-prototype technique that uniquely allows label-free visualization of individual molecules at sub-second frame rates, x1000 faster than conventional AFM. Ignacio complements his scientific research with technical development in order to improve the performance of the HS-AFM and widen the spectrum of information assessed.
Interests: research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of endocytosis in health and under pathological conditions, by applying interdisciplinary approaches at the interface of biophysics, cell biology, and nanotechnologies
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cellular membranes are the target of 70% of drugs. Cellular membranes are highly heterogeneous composites made of lipids and proteins that provide the essential boundary of the cell’s environment and between the different intracellular organelles. Membranes actively participate in the regulation of the metabolic and biochemical pathways of cells. Fundamental cellular functions, such as signaling, vesicle trafficking, or cell migration, as well as the nutritional- and waste-exchange between the cells and organelles, pass through or are generated on the membranes of the cells.
Back in the 1970s, the seminal model proposed by Singer and Nicolson described biological membranes as a fluid mosaic of protein molecules embedded into a lipid bilayer. In recent years, this model has been evolving to integrate novel insights on the molecular structure and dynamics of membranes, as well as on their mechanical properties.
The permanent dynamic and reversible remodeling of cellular membranes, including the temporary association of proteins and/or lipids, and the formation of specialized domains, regulates the biological function of membranes. Reorganization mechanisms are (i) inherent to the membrane components themselves, and are (ii) related to the interaction of the membrane with dedicated proteins, the cytoskeleton, and/or extracellular components.
Novel concepts in the field of membrane biology benefit from the increasing number of inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches conciliating the fundamental features of biological membranes with cellular and even multi-cellular functions. For instance, numerical simulation, as well as biochemical, biophysical, and structural approaches providing different scales of descriptions of membranes have been successfully combined with other fields of expertise, including cellular and developmental biology, immunology, virology, or bacteriology, among others.
We invite contributions exploring distinct aspects of cell membrane dynamics, through studies on different experimental systems—in vivo, in vitro, or model systems—and using different technical approaches. Both original research articles and reviews are encouraged. Together, these contributions should provide an integrated view of the functions, roles, and implications of cell membrane dynamics.
Dr. Ignacio Casuso
Dr. Laura Picas
Guest Editors
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
- lipid domains
- lipid and protein dynamics
- anomalous diffusion
- membrane remodelling
- signal transduction
- oligomerization
- membrane curvature
- membrane trafficking
- membrane mediated protein–protein interactions
- transient protein complexes
- cytoskeleton
- phase transition
