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Membranes
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Membranes Biophysics: Theory and Experiment
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Membranes Biophysics: Theory and Experiment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 July 2023) | Viewed by 4599

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xubo Lin

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Interests: membrane biophysics; nanobiology; drug design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the Special Issue “Membranes Biophysics: Theory and Experiment”. The cell membrane, which consists of various lipids and proteins, plays vital roles in maintaining the proper functions of the cell. Revealing the detailed interactions between its components will be essential for its biological functions. For example, due to the differential preferences between different lipids and proteins, the cell membrane can segregate into a series of liquid-ordered (Lo, raft-like) and liquid-disordered (Ld, non-raft-like) membranes domains. The comprehensive factors that determine the intra-leaflet and inter-leaflet dynamics of these membrane domains are still to be achieved. Additionally, how lipid compositions or the presence of these membrane domains affect the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins including both transmembrane and membrane-bound proteins still need to be systematically summarized and further studied.

Hence, this Special Issue aims to present recent advances in the structure, dynamics, and function of the cell membrane from various perspectives. These studies will shed light on the structural and physiological functions of the cell membrane and provide new insights into their fundamental workings.

Both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Areas of interest may include (but are not limited to) the following: cell biology, biochemistry, and biophysics, including structural biology, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and theoretical research. Multidisciplinary approaches will also be considered. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Xubo Lin
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. 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 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 raft
  • lipid–lipid interactions
  • lipid–protein interactions
  • protein–protein in-teractions
  • drug–membrane interactions
  • nanoparticle–membrane interactions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2587 KiB  
Article
Cardiolipin Strongly Inhibits the Leakage Activity of the Short Antimicrobial Peptide ATRA-1 in Comparison to LL-37, in Model Membranes Mimicking the Lipid Composition of Staphylococcus aureus
by Nathalia Calderón-Rivera, Jessica Múnera-Jaramillo, Sara Jaramillo-Berrio, Elizabeth Suesca, Marcela Manrique-Moreno and Chad Leidy
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030304 - 6 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1694
Abstract
Cardiolipin is one of the main phospholipid components of Staphylococcus aureus membranes. This lipid is found at varying concentrations in the bilayer, depending on the growth stage of the bacteria, and as a response to environmental stress. Cardiolipin is an anionic phospholipid with [...] Read more.
Cardiolipin is one of the main phospholipid components of Staphylococcus aureus membranes. This lipid is found at varying concentrations in the bilayer, depending on the growth stage of the bacteria, and as a response to environmental stress. Cardiolipin is an anionic phospholipid with four acyl chains, which modulates the bending properties of the membrane due to its inverted conical shape. It has been shown to inhibit the pore forming activity of several antimicrobial peptides, in general doubling the peptide concentration needed to induce leakage. Here we find that the short snake-derived antimicrobial peptide ATRA-1 is inhibited by several orders of magnitude in the presence of cardiolipin in saturated membranes (DMPG) compared to the human cathelicidin LL-37, which is only inhibited two-fold in its leakage-inducing concentration. The ATRA-1 is too short to span the membrane and its leakage activity is likely related to detergent-like alterations of bilayer structure. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows only a minor effect on ATRA-1 binding to DMPG membranes due to the presence of cardiolipin. However, FTIR spectroscopy shows that the acyl chain structure of DMPG membranes, containing cardiolipin, become more organized in the presence of ATRA-1, as reflected by an increase in the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition temperature. Instead, a depression in the melting temperature is induced by ATRA-1 in DMPG in the absence of cardiolipin. In comparison, LL-37 induces a depression of the main phase transition of DMPG even in the presence of cardiolipin. These data suggest that cardiolipin inhibits the penetration of ATRA-1 into the membrane core, impeding its capacity to disrupt lipid packing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes Biophysics: Theory and Experiment)
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Review

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14 pages, 1387 KiB  
Review
Extracellular Vesicles and Their Membranes: Exosomes vs. Virus-Related Particles
by Daniela Cortes-Galvez, John A. Dangerfield and Christoph Metzner
Membranes 2023, 13(4), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13040397 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2377
Abstract
Cells produce nanosized lipid membrane-enclosed vesicles which play important roles in intercellular communication. Interestingly, a certain type of extracellular vesicle, termed exosomes, share physical, chemical, and biological properties with enveloped virus particles. To date, most similarities have been discovered with lentiviral particles, however, [...] Read more.
Cells produce nanosized lipid membrane-enclosed vesicles which play important roles in intercellular communication. Interestingly, a certain type of extracellular vesicle, termed exosomes, share physical, chemical, and biological properties with enveloped virus particles. To date, most similarities have been discovered with lentiviral particles, however, other virus species also frequently interact with exosomes. In this review, we will take a closer look at the similarities and differences between exosomes and enveloped viral particles, with a focus on events taking place at the vesicle or virus membrane. Since these structures present an area with an opportunity for interaction with target cells, this is relevant for basic biology as well as any potential research or medical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes Biophysics: Theory and Experiment)
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