Current Methods in Membrane Biology

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editor

Dharini van der Hoeven

The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics

Dr. Dharini van der Hoeven is an Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Iowa. Earlier she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston-School of Dentistry. She received her PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School. Research in Dr. van der Hoeven’s lab focuses on the pharmacological alteration of plasma membrane lipid topology to inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Ras proteins as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancers, primarily oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). EGFR and H-Ras are two commonly mutated proteins in OSCC. Signaling of EGFR, a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor, is amplified in 90% of OSCC due to overexpression and/or constitutive activation of the receptor. In addition, H-Ras, a plasma membrane-associated GTPase that serves as the downstream effector of EGFR, is mutated in 10% of OSCC. Therefore, EGFR and H-Ras proteins in the context of OSCC have emerged as major targets requiring therapeutic designs that will effectively block their signaling in clinical settings. Cholesterol binding is hardwired into EGFR and H-Ras anchoring to the PM such that reducing PM cholesterol content is a viable and novel strategy to abrogate their function.

Collection Overview

Crucial to the mechanistic understanding of cellular physiology is the understanding of the biophysical and biochemical properties of cellular membranes. In addition to being instrumental in protecting the integrity of the cell interior, the mammalian cell membrane carries out functions that are indispensable for life:(1) delimiting the shapes of cells, (2) serving as docks for proteins, (3) transducing and amplifying intra- and extracellular signals, (4) acting as a capacitor for generating transmembrane electrical potentials, and (5) allowing cell adhesion and recognition. Cell membranes are complex assemblies of lipids and proteins. Our current understanding of cell membrane structure is largely influenced by the classical “fluid mosaic” model; however, it is now accepted that cell membranes are highly heterogeneous, consisting of various lateral protein and lipid domains that modulate the functions of these components. Although it is known that such collective lipid-protein and lipid–lipid interactions in membranes determine its function, much remains to be discovered about the nature of these processes. This collection will focus on a wide range of topics (from membrane lipid and protein biophysics to the cell biology of membrane processes) and will introduce some of the most exciting current research in this field. Two primary topics resonating in membrane biology and membrane biophysics will be discussed in this issue: (1) physical properties of membranes contributing to cell membrane organization in molecular assemblies and domains and (2) novel experimental techniques that have been utilized to produce a coherent picture of the properties and functions of cell membranes.