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Membranes
Special Issues
Structural, Dynamical, and Functional Implications of Membrane Compositional Heterogeneity
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Structural, Dynamical, and Functional Implications of Membrane Compositional Heterogeneity

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Fabrication and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2024) | Viewed by 2601

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Matthew Coleman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
Interests: nanolipoprotein particle formation and nanodisc characterization; biophysics and membrane proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Atul N. Parikh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: model membranes; membrane-protein interactions; and biophysical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to report your research findings in this Special Issue of Membranes: Structural, Dynamical, and Functional Implications of Membrane Compositional Heterogeneity. Lipids are a varied and multifunctional group of molecules. Lipids have hydrophobic (water-repelling) tails that interact with each other and proteins, forming a stable core that protects the membrane from water and ions. This hydrophobic effect allows lipids to self-assemble into a myriad of structures, such as bilayers, micelles, and liposomes, which provide a framework for organizing proteins and other molecules within the biomembrane. This arrangement of lipids influences the mechanical properties of biomembranes and helps to maintain its fluidity, stability, and permeability. This Special Issue will focus on lipids, lipid compositions, lipid interactions, and the roles that lipid compositions play in regulating the physical properties of biological membranes. Also of interest is new technology or computational applications used to study the structures, functions, and dynamics of membrane transitions and their interactions with proteins.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics: the regulation of membrane dynamics; lipid composition and interactions that influence the mechanical properties of biomembranes; lipid–protein interactions; lipid and lipid protein partitioning in the biomembrane; lipid nanodisc interactions; methods for studying changes in the composition, shape, and dynamics of biomembranes, as well as their responses to environmental cues.

Dr. Matthew Coleman
Prof. Dr. Atul N. Parikh
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

  • lipids
  • membrane dynamics and fusion
  • phase transition
  • self-assembly
  • bilayers
  • micelles
  • liposomes
  • lipid–protein interactions
  • lipid transport
  • trafficking
  • viscosity
  • surface tension
  • lipid targeting
  • molecular simulation
  • membrane preparation and characterization

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 2271 KiB  
Article
Lipid-Based Catalysis Demonstrated by Bilayer-Enabled Ester Hydrolysis
by Shu Liu, Kiran Kumar, Tracey Bell, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy, David Van Winkle and Steven Lenhert
Membranes 2024, 14(8), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14080168 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 2063
Abstract
Lipids have not traditionally been considered likely candidates for catalyzing reactions in biological systems. However, there is significant evidence that aggregates of amphiphilic compounds are capable of catalyzing reactions in synthetic organic chemistry. Here, we demonstrate the potential for the hydrophobic region of [...] Read more.
Lipids have not traditionally been considered likely candidates for catalyzing reactions in biological systems. However, there is significant evidence that aggregates of amphiphilic compounds are capable of catalyzing reactions in synthetic organic chemistry. Here, we demonstrate the potential for the hydrophobic region of a lipid bilayer to provide an environment suitable for catalysis by means of a lipid aggregate capable of speeding up a chemical reaction. By bringing organic molecules into the nonpolar or hydrophobic region of a lipid bilayer, reactions can be catalyzed by individual or collections of small, nonpolar, or amphiphilic molecules. We demonstrate this concept by the ester hydrolysis of calcein-AM to produce a fluorescent product, which is a widely used assay for esterase activity in cells. The reaction was first carried out in a two-phase octanol–water system, with the organic phase containing the cationic amphiphiles cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or octadecylamine. The octanol phase was then replaced with phospholipid vesicles in water, where the reaction was also found to be carried out. The reaction was monitored using quantitative fluorescence, which revealed catalytic turnover numbers on a scale of 10−7 to 10−8 s−1 for each system, which is much slower than enzymatic catalysis. The reaction product was characterized by 1H-NMR measurements, which were consistent with ester hydrolysis. The implications of thinking about lipids and lipid aggregates as catalytic entities are discussed in the context of biochemistry, pharmacology, and synthetic biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural, Dynamical, and Functional Implications of Membrane Compositional Heterogeneity)
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