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Membranes
Special Issues
Biological Membrane Dynamics and Reorganization Induced by Light Changes
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Biological Membrane Dynamics and Reorganization Induced by Light Changes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 4086

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Radka Vladkova

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: chlorophyll a in model and native thylakoid membranes (cyanobacteria, algae, plants); induction of membrane and protein changes by chlorophyll a; unique membrane properties of chlorophyll a compared to the other photosynthetic pigments; chlorophyll–lipid and chlorophyll–protein interactions; lipid phase transitions and non-lamellar phases; hydrophobic mismatch; membrane dynamics and reorganization; cytochrome b6f complex; state transitions
Prof. Dr. Sashka Krumova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: photosynthesis; thylakoid membrane; structural rearrangements; pigment–protein and lipid–protein interactions; non-lamellar lipid phases in biological membranes
Dr. Nia Petrova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
2. Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: Thylakoid membrane macroorganization; adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus to environmental stress; photosynthesis and green energy production; algal biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oxygenic photosynthesis is a vital bioprocess supplying us with oxygen, food, raw materials, etc. Its primary light processes (i.e., light harvesting, excitation energy and charge transfers) and their regulation are performed in the thylakoid membranes of cyanobacteria, algae and plants. Activation of fast regulatory mechanisms (in the timescale of seconds and minutes) ensures optimization of photosynthetic efficiency and protection of photosynthetic apparatus in ever-varying environmental conditions (light quality and intensity, temperature, water availability, etc.). The fast regulatory mechanisms (state transitions, non-photochemical quenching, photosynthetic control, etc.) proceed via dynamic structural reorganizations of the photosynthetic integral membrane proteins, peripheral proteins and in some cases with enzymes’ activation.

In addition to being the most abundant biological membrane, thylakoids are attractive with their evolutionarily conserved lipid composition involving four unique lipid classes and high abundance of non-lamellar lipids. Clarifying the role of thylakoid lipids (beyond their role for membrane fluidity) in the induction and realization of the fast regulatory mechanisms has recently emerged as one of the hottest topics in membrane biophysical studies on thylakoid membranes. Exciting recent studies have shed light on the possible role of protein/lipid hydrophobic mismatch as a driving force in state transitions and non-photochemical quenching. Furthermore, the thylakoid lipid phase behavior emerged as a factor for the photosynthetic supercomplexes’ macroorganization and the activation of water-soluble thylakoid enzymes involved in photoprotection. Understanding the role of lipids in the dynamic structural reorganizations of thylakoid membranes is not only of fundamental scientific importance, but also a step towards finding photosynthesis-inspired solutions in (bio)membrane-based innovative applications.

We are pleased to invite you to publish your recent findings and hypotheses related to the roles of lipids in the above noted dynamic structural reorganizations of thylakoid membranes. Original papers and review articles on other biomembranes focusing on the role of lipids in dynamic structural reorganizations induced by light changes are welcome as well.

We look forward to receiving and publishing your contributions to the Special Issue “Biological Membrane Dynamics and Reorganization Induced by Light Changes”.

Sincerely,
Dr. Radka Vladkova
Prof. Dr. Sashka Krumova
Dr. Nia Petrova
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 biophysics
  • thylakoid membrane dynamics
  • dynamic interactions and reorganization
  • transient complexes
  • dynamic changes in protein–membrane organization
  • protein/lipid hydrophobic mismatch as a driving force
  • lipid-phase induced enzyme activation
  • lipid sorting
  • protein oligomerization
  • molecular dynamics simulations
  • X-ray, cryo-EM and NMR structures

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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50 pages, 7741 KiB  
Article
X-Ray Crystal and Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structure Analysis Unravels How the Unique Thylakoid Lipid Composition Is Utilized by Cytochrome b6f for Driving Reversible Proteins’ Reorganization During State Transitions
by Radka Vladkova
Membranes 2025, 15(5), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15050143 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
The rapid regulatory mechanism of light-induced state transitions (STs) in oxygenic photosynthesis is particularly appealing for membrane-based applications. This interest stems from the unique ability of the thylakoid membrane protein cytochrome b6f (cytb6f) to increase or decrease [...] Read more.
The rapid regulatory mechanism of light-induced state transitions (STs) in oxygenic photosynthesis is particularly appealing for membrane-based applications. This interest stems from the unique ability of the thylakoid membrane protein cytochrome b6f (cytb6f) to increase or decrease its hydrophobic thickness (dP) in parallel with the reduction or oxidation of the PQ pool induced by changes in light quality. This property appears to be the long-sought biophysical driver behind the reorganizations of membrane proteins during STs. This study decisively advances the hydrophobic mismatch (HMM) model for cytb6f-driven STs by thoroughly analyzing thirteen X-ray crystal and eight cryo-electron microscopy cytb6f structures. It uncovers the lipid nanoenvironments that cytb6f, with different hydrophobic thicknesses, selectively attracts. Under optimal, stationary conditions for photosynthesis in low light, when there is hydrophobic matching between the hydrophobic thicknesses of cytb6f dP and that of the bulk thylakoid lipid phase dL, dP = dL, cytb6f predominantly binds to anionic lipids—several phosphatidylglycerol (PG) molecules and one sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) molecule. Upon the induction of the transition to State 2, when dP increases and induces a positive HMM (dP > dL), the neutral, non-bilayer-forming lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) replaces some of the bound PGs. Upon the induction of the transition to State 1, when dP decreases and induces a negative HMM (dP < dL), PGs and SQDG detach from their binding sites, and two neutral, bilayer-forming lipids such as digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) occupy two sites. Additionally, this research uncovers two lipid-mediated signaling pathways from Chla to the center of flexibility, the Phe/Tyr124fg-loop-suIV residue—one of which involves β-carotene. This study identifies two novel types of lipid raft-like nanodomains that are devoid of typical components, such as sphingomyelin and cholesterol. These findings firmly validate the HMM model and underscore the STs as the first recognized functional process that fully utilizes the unique and evolutionarily conserved composition of just four thylakoid lipid classes. This research contributes to our understanding of membrane dynamics in general and STs in particular. It introduces a novel and simple approach for reversible protein reorganization driven purely by biophysical mechanisms, with promising implications for various membrane-based applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Membrane Dynamics and Reorganization Induced by Light Changes)
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21 pages, 2954 KiB  
Article
Structural Changes Induced by Resveratrol in Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Phosphatidylcholine-Enriched Model Membranes
by Rusina Hazarosova, Albena Momchilova, Victoria Vitkova, Vesela Yordanova, Aneliya Kostadinova, Miglena I. Angelova, Cedric Tessier, Philippe Nuss and Galya Staneva
Membranes 2023, 13(12), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13120909 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2212
Abstract
Resveratrol (Resv) is considered to exert a beneficial impact due to its radical scavenger, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties through several mechanisms that could include its interaction with the cell plasma membrane. To address this issue, we investigated the influence of Resv on membrane [...] Read more.
Resveratrol (Resv) is considered to exert a beneficial impact due to its radical scavenger, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties through several mechanisms that could include its interaction with the cell plasma membrane. To address this issue, we investigated the influence of Resv on membrane lipid order and organization in large unilamellar vesicles composed of different lipids and ratios. The studied lipid membrane models were composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) species (either palmitoyl-docosahexaenoyl phosphatidylcholine (PDPC) or palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC)), sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (Chol). This study found that the addition of Resv resulted in complex membrane reorganization depending on the degree of fatty acid unsaturation at the sn-2 position, and the Lipid/Resv and SM/Chol ratios. Resv rigidified POPC-containing membranes and increased liquid-ordered (Lo) domain formation in 40/40/20 POPC/SM/Chol mixtures as this increase was lower at a 33/33/34 ratio. In contrast, Resv interacted with PDPC/SM/Chol mixtures in a bimodal manner by fluidizing/rigidifying the membranes in a dose-dependent way. Lo domain formation upon Resv addition occurred via the following bimodal mode of action: Lo domain size increased at low Resv concentrations; then, Lo domain size decreased at higher ones. To account for the variable effect of Resv, we suggest that it may act as a “spacer” at low doses, with a transition to a more “filler” position in the lipid bulk. We hypothesize that one of the roles of Resv is to tune the lipid order and organization of cell plasma membranes, which is closely linked to important cell functions such as membrane sorting and trafficking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Membrane Dynamics and Reorganization Induced by Light Changes)
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