Structural Dynamics of Membrane Proteins in the Nervous System: Integrative Approaches to Neurobiology
A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Membranes".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 38
Special Issue Editors
Interests: membrane proteins; GPCR; ion channel; cryo-EM; neuroscience
Interests: multiscale computational modeling; integrated computational and experimental study; computational biology; protein-membrane interactions; small molecule-membrane interactions; protein-protein interactions; protein-ligand interactions
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue seeks research that advances our understanding of how membrane proteins undergo conformational changes, exhibit dynamic structural rearrangements, and interact with their surrounding membrane within the nervous system. We welcome original research, reviews, perspectives, and methods that use experimental and computational approaches. Focus areas include cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), molecular dynamics simulations, and other biophysical techniques to study membrane proteins such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, transporters, and related proteins relevant to neurobiology.
We especially encourage submissions investigating how these proteins engage with the lipid bilayer and other membrane components—exploring the effects of specific protein-lipid, protein-membrane, and protein–protein interactions on their conformation and physiological functions. Topics may cover neural signaling, synaptic transmission, mechanisms of receptor activation and inactivation, and implications for neuropharmacology or neurological diseases. Studies integrating molecular biophysics, structural biology, computational modeling, and neuroscience—while specifically addressing membrane interactions and structural dynamics—are of particular value to this issue.
Dr. Alys Peisley
Prof. Dr. Yuhua Song
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
- membrane proteins
- structural dynamics
- conformational change
- cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM)
- molecular dynamics simulations
- lipid bilayer interactions
- protein–lipid interactions
- protein–membrane interactions
- ion channels
- G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)
- protein–protein interactions
- neural signaling
- synaptic transmission
- membrane structure and function
- neuroscience
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