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Membranes
Special Issues
Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes
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Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Membranes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2025 | Viewed by 5673

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhongcan Ouyang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
Interests: fluid membranes; elasticity and geometry of mem-branes and vesicles; physics of 2D and 3D liquid crystals; elastic folding of DNA biomacromolecules and proteins; nonlinear science; theoretical biophys-ics and bioinformatics
Dr. Hao Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wenzhou Institute University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China
Interests: elasticity and geometry of solid/fluid membranes; multicomponent fluid membranes; coarse-grained simulations of membranes and polymers; cell migration and microswimming with/without geometric confinements; fluid-structure interaction; active colloid motors; self-assembly of molecular materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological membranes are essential for life through their compartmentalization into cells and organelles therein. The bilayer structure, composed of various kinds of lipids, membrane proteins and bioactive polymers anchored thereon, can perform many significant biological functions, including biochemical signaling, ion transportation, membrane trafficking and protein scaffolding, morphological change, membrane fission/fusion, and cell motility. Each function requires that a specific group of proteins and lipids with anchored sugar chains rapidly assemble and disassemble at a specific site on membrane surface. Such processes, at the nanoscale, further drive the deformation of membranes or vesicles at the micron level in order to perform physiological and pathological functions. Understanding the design principles underneath these rich phenomena is critical to controlling various functions of biological membranes and applying their multiple functions to a broad range of artificial membranes and liposomes, stimuli reponsive functional materials, medical soft materials, and even physiological and pathological processes, such as intracellular signaling pathway, endocytosis/exocytosis, and immunomodulatory processes.

This Special Issue focuses on the recent developments regarding theory, simulation and experiments focused on biological membranes interacting with complex environments, such as external fields, BAR protein regulation, phase separation and viscous fluid, and the novel applications emerging from such studies. At present, their applications are constrained by many open questions regarding the diversity of components, heterogeneity of membrane structures, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, nonlinear elasticity and their interaction with complex environments, which are under intense investigation.

Prof. Dr. Zhongcan Ouyang
Prof. Dr. Hao Wu
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. Membranes 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 2200 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

  • cell membranes
  • solid membranes
  • fluid membranes
  • multicomponent membranes
  • bioactive membranes
  • external fields
  • external flows
  • endocytosis/exocytosis
  • membrane fusion/fission
  • membrane budding
  • pattern formation
  • phase separation
  • lipid rafts
  • lipid-lipid interactions
  • lipid-protein interactions
  • protein-protein interactions
  • drug-membrane interactions
  • nanoparticle-membrane interactions
  • transmembrane ion channels
  • signal transduction
  • membrane structure and organization
  • mathematical modeling
  • numerical simulations
  • intracellular communication
  • extracellular vesicles
  • ion regulation
  • geometric confinements
  • extracellular matrix
  • protein scaffolding
  • membrane trafficking
  • cytoskeleton network
  • cortical layers

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5190 KiB  
Article
Boundary Flow-Induced Membrane Tubulation Under Turgor Pressures
by Hao Xue and Rui Ma
Membranes 2025, 15(4), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15040106 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 265
Abstract
During clathrin-mediated endocytosis in yeast cells, a small patch of flat membrane is deformed into a tubular shape. It is generally believed that the tubulation is powered by actin polymerization. However, studies based on quantitative measurement of the actin molecules suggest that they [...] Read more.
During clathrin-mediated endocytosis in yeast cells, a small patch of flat membrane is deformed into a tubular shape. It is generally believed that the tubulation is powered by actin polymerization. However, studies based on quantitative measurement of the actin molecules suggest that they are not sufficient to produce the forces to overcome the high turgor pressure inside of the cell. In this paper, we model the membrane as a viscous 2D fluid with elasticity and study the dynamic membrane deformation powered by a boundary lipid flow under osmotic pressure. We find that in the absence pressure, the lipid flow drives the membrane into a spherical shape or a parachute shape. The shapes over time exhibit self-similarity. The presence of pressure transforms the membrane into a tubular shape that elongates almost linearly with time and the self-similarity between shapes at different times is lost. Furthermore, the width of the tube is found to scale inversely to the cubic root of the pressure, and the tension across the membrane is negative and scales to the cubic root squared of the pressure. Our results demonstrate that boundary flow powered by myosin motors, as a new way to deform the membrane, could be a supplementary mechanism to actin polymerization to drive endocytosis in yeast cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes)
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17 pages, 6340 KiB  
Article
Membrane Remodeling Driven by Shallow Helix Insertions via a Cooperative Mechanism
by Jie Hu and Yiben Fu
Membranes 2025, 15(4), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15040101 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 276
Abstract
Helix-membrane interactions are key to membrane deformation and play significant biological roles. However, systematic studies on the mechanisms behind these interactions are limited. This study uses a continuum membrane model to investigate how shallowly inserted helices interact with biological membranes, focusing on membrane [...] Read more.
Helix-membrane interactions are key to membrane deformation and play significant biological roles. However, systematic studies on the mechanisms behind these interactions are limited. This study uses a continuum membrane model to investigate how shallowly inserted helices interact with biological membranes, focusing on membrane deformation and the cooperative effects of multiple helices. Our findings show that even short helices (2 nm in length) can induce anisotropic membrane deformation. Longer helices and deeper insertions result in more significant deformations, and the spatial arrangement of helices affects the nature of these deformations. The perturbation area (PA) and perturbation extent (PE) are quantified to describe membrane deformation, revealing stronger cooperative effects in parallel insertions and more complex deformations in other arrangements. Additionally, membrane properties, such as lipid composition, influence the extent of deformation. In multi-helix systems, we observe local clustering behavior when perturbations are strong enough, with cooperativity varying based on helix length, insertion depth, and membrane composition. This study provides criteria for helix cooperativity, advancing our understanding of helix–membrane interactions and their biological significance in processes like membrane remodeling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes)
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12 pages, 587 KiB  
Article
Adhesive Force Between Biconcave Red Blood Cell Membrane and Bulk Substrate
by Weihua Mu
Membranes 2025, 15(3), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15030089 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 541
Abstract
Adhesion between a red blood cell and substrates is essential to many biophysical processes and has significant implications for medical applications. This study derived a theoretical formula for the adhesive force between a red blood cell and a bulk substrate, incorporating the Hamaker [...] Read more.
Adhesion between a red blood cell and substrates is essential to many biophysical processes and has significant implications for medical applications. This study derived a theoretical formula for the adhesive force between a red blood cell and a bulk substrate, incorporating the Hamaker constant to account for van der Waals interactions. The derivation is based on a biconcave shape of an RBC, described by the well-known Ouyang–Helfrich equation and its analytical solution developed by Ouyang. The theoretical predictions align with experimental observations and the empirical spherical model, revealing a F∝D−2.5 relationship for biconcave RBCs versus F∝D−2 for spheres. While the current study focuses on idealized geometries and static conditions, future work will extend these findings to more complex environmental conditions, such as dynamic flow and interactions with plasma proteins, thereby broadening the applicability of the model. This work bridges foundational research in cell membrane mechanics with practical applications in hemostatic materials, platelet adhesion, and biomaterials engineering. The findings provide insights for designing advanced biological sensors, surgical tools, and innovative medical materials with enhanced biocompatibility and performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes)
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12 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
Thermodynamic Considerations on the Biophysical Interaction between Low-Energy Electromagnetic Fields and Biosystems
by Umberto Lucia and Giulia Grisolia
Membranes 2024, 14(8), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14080179 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1683
Abstract
A general theory explaining how electromagnetic waves affect cells and biological systems has not been completely accepted yet; nevertheless, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) can interfere with and modify several molecular cellular processes. The therapeutic effect of EMFs has been investigated in several [...] Read more.
A general theory explaining how electromagnetic waves affect cells and biological systems has not been completely accepted yet; nevertheless, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) can interfere with and modify several molecular cellular processes. The therapeutic effect of EMFs has been investigated in several clinical conditions with promising results: in this context a better understanding of mechanisms by which ELF-EMF influences cellular events is necessary and it could lead to more extended and specific clinical applications in different pathological conditions. This paper develops a thermodynamic model to explain how ELF-EMF directly interferes with the cellular membrane, inducing a biological response related to a cellular energy conversion and modification of flows across cell membranes. Indeed, energy, irreversibly consumed by cellular metabolism, is converted into entropy variation. The proposed thermodynamic model views living systems as adaptative open systems, analysing the changes in energy and matter moving in and out of the cell. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes)
22 pages, 21609 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Cellular Physiological States with Three-Dimensional Shape Descriptors for Cell Membranes
by Guoye Guan, Yixuan Chen, Hongli Wang, Qi Ouyang and Chao Tang
Membranes 2024, 14(6), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14060137 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1881
Abstract
The shape of a cell as defined by its membrane can be closely associated with its physiological state. For example, the irregular shapes of cancerous cells and elongated shapes of neuron cells often reflect specific functions, such as cell motility and cell communication. [...] Read more.
The shape of a cell as defined by its membrane can be closely associated with its physiological state. For example, the irregular shapes of cancerous cells and elongated shapes of neuron cells often reflect specific functions, such as cell motility and cell communication. However, it remains unclear whether and which cell shape descriptors can characterize different cellular physiological states. In this study, 12 geometric shape descriptors for a three-dimensional (3D) object were collected from the previous literature and tested with a public dataset of ~400,000 independent 3D cell regions segmented based on fluorescent labeling of the cell membranes in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. It is revealed that those shape descriptors can faithfully characterize cellular physiological states, including (1) cell division (cytokinesis), along with an abrupt increase in the elongation ratio; (2) a negative correlation of cell migration speed with cell sphericity; (3) cell lineage specification with symmetrically patterned cell shape changes; and (4) cell fate specification with differential gene expression and differential cell shapes. The descriptors established may be used to identify and predict the diverse physiological states in numerous cells, which could be used for not only studying developmental morphogenesis but also diagnosing human disease (e.g., the rapid detection of abnormal cells). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design Principles and Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Biological Membranes)
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