About this Research Topic
Lipid membranes serve as the primary barrier to cell entry and the export of cellular constituents. Pathogens and cellular cargo systems have evolved proteins and peptides that mediate the cellular membranes' disruption to facilitate entry and exit from the cell. Such mechanisms include membrane fusion, membrane pore formation, membrane reorganization, endocytosis and exocytosis. The proteins and peptides employ large scale conformational changes and oligomerization that drive membrane bending, defect generation, and lipid removal. Since such membrane reconfiguration is essential for all life, spanning from viruses to mammalian cells, understanding biophysical mechanisms driving membrane disruption remains an active area of pursuit.
This Research Topic aims to cover recent methods and new research that furthers our understanding of membrane disruption and fusion. We seek to address the following questions :
• What are the essential components to achieve dramatic physical perturbation of membranes that can drive processes like membrane fusion and poration?
• How do proteins interact with lipids and target specific components in the cellular membrane?
• What drives the membrane disruption, fusion, and lipid removal process?
To drive our mechanistic understanding of cellular membrane disruption, methods and real-time assays that report molecular level changes, membrane dynamics, and protein-lipid interactions are critical. Such methods, combined with molecular dynamics simulations, can provide deep insight into the molecular action of such proteins. Detailed structural and dynamics information will also help in developing inhibitors targeting cellular entry by pathogens.
Research Topic may include the following areas
• Mechanism of membrane fusion and disruption
• Viral envelope proteins and their action
• Membrane disruption by Amyloid proteins
• SNARE proteins and synaptic membrane fusion
• Pore-forming toxins and pore formation
• Membrane dynamics and simulations
• Endocytosis and Exocytosis
This Research Topic aims to cover recent methods and new research that furthers our understanding of membrane disruption and fusion. We seek to address the following questions :
• What are the essential components to achieve dramatic physical perturbation of membranes that can drive processes like membrane fusion and poration?
• How do proteins interact with lipids and target specific components in the cellular membrane?
• What drives the membrane disruption, fusion, and lipid removal process?
To drive our mechanistic understanding of cellular membrane disruption, methods and real-time assays that report molecular level changes, membrane dynamics, and protein-lipid interactions are critical. Such methods, combined with molecular dynamics simulations, can provide deep insight into the molecular action of such proteins. Detailed structural and dynamics information will also help in developing inhibitors targeting cellular entry by pathogens.
Research Topic may include the following areas
• Mechanism of membrane fusion and disruption
• Viral envelope proteins and their action
• Membrane disruption by Amyloid proteins
• SNARE proteins and synaptic membrane fusion
• Pore-forming toxins and pore formation
• Membrane dynamics and simulations
• Endocytosis and Exocytosis
Keywords: Lipid membranes, Membrane fusion and disruption, Envelope proteins, Pore-forming toxins, Amyloid proteins
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
