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Biophysica
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State-of-the-Art Biophysics in Spain 2.0
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State-of-the-Art Biophysics in Spain 2.0

A special issue of Biophysica (ISSN 2673-4125).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 4021

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jaume Casademunt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
2. Universitat de Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: molecular motors; cell motility; collective cell migration; tissue mechanics; morphogenesis; development; active matter; hydrodynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biophysics is one of the most promising and innovative areas of multidisciplinary research. Spain has actively participated in its development during the last decades, from the original concept of biophysics as a branch of biology that involved physical concepts and instruments, to the current status as a consolidated area of research where Biology and Physics meet and cross-fertilize. Many Spanish groups have pioneered a physical approach to biological systems, both contributing to a deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms that underlay biological phenomena and to the pursuit of new physics in living matter. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art of Biophysics in Spain, ranging from the more traditional and established areas to the most innovative approaches. We invite researchers in the Spanish research system to submit full research articles or comprehensive reviews. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following research areas:

  • Structure and Dynamics of Biomolecules and Their Assemblies Biomolecular Machines;
  • Biomembranes;
  • Genetics and Gene Expression Mechanisms;
  • Cell Biophysics;
  • Tissue Biophysics;
  • Developmental Biophysics;
  • Biophysical Techniques and Instrumentation;
  • Theory and Modeling of Biological Systems;
  • Systems Biology;
  • Neuronal networks;
  • Synthetic Biology;
  • Physics of Evolution.

Prof. Dr. Jaume Casademunt
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. Biophysica is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • self-assembly
  • self-organization
  • living matter
  • molecular biophysics
  • protein folding
  • protein aggregation
  • single-molecule physics
  • molecular motors
  • ion channels
  • membrane dynamics
  • signaling
  • gene expression
  • cell biophysics
  • cell mechanics
  • tissue mechanics
  • mechanobiology
  • cell motility
  • cell migration
  • development
  • embryogenesis
  • morphogenesis
  • pattern formation
  • neuron physics
  • neuronal networks
  • systems biology
  • synthetic biology
  • evolution
  • computational biology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 1749 KiB  
Article
Detecting Molecular Folding from Noise Measurements
by Marc Rico-Pasto and Felix Ritort
Biophysica 2023, 3(3), 539-547; https://doi.org/10.3390/biophysica3030036 - 05 Sep 2023
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Detecting conformational transitions in molecular systems is key to understanding biological processes. Here, we investigate the force variance in single-molecule pulling experiments as an indicator of molecular folding transitions. We consider cases where Brownian force fluctuations are large, masking the force rips and [...] Read more.
Detecting conformational transitions in molecular systems is key to understanding biological processes. Here, we investigate the force variance in single-molecule pulling experiments as an indicator of molecular folding transitions. We consider cases where Brownian force fluctuations are large, masking the force rips and jumps characteristics of conformational transitions. We compare unfolding and folding data for DNA hairpin systems of loop sizes 4, 8, and 20 and the 110-amino acid protein barnase, finding conditions that facilitate the detection of folding events at low forces where the signal-to-noise ratio is low. In particular, we discuss the role of temperature as a useful parameter to improve the detection of folding transitions in entropically driven processes where folding forces are temperature independent. The force variance approach might be extended to detect the elusive intermediate states in RNA and protein folding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Biophysics in Spain 2.0)
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Review

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22 pages, 4283 KiB  
Review
Physical Virology in Spain
by David Reguera, Pedro J. de Pablo, Nicola G. A. Abrescia, Mauricio G. Mateu, Javier Hernández-Rojas, José R. Castón and Carmen San Martín
Biophysica 2023, 3(4), 598-619; https://doi.org/10.3390/biophysica3040041 - 31 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1020
Abstract
Virus particles consist of a protein coat that protects their genetic material and delivers it to the host cell for self-replication. Understanding the interplay between virus structure and function is a requirement for understanding critical processes in the infectious cycle such as entry, [...] Read more.
Virus particles consist of a protein coat that protects their genetic material and delivers it to the host cell for self-replication. Understanding the interplay between virus structure and function is a requirement for understanding critical processes in the infectious cycle such as entry, uncoating, genome metabolism, capsid assembly, maturation, and propagation. Together with well-established techniques in cell and molecular biology, physical virology has emerged as a rapidly developing field, providing detailed, novel information on the basic principles of virus assembly, disassembly, and dynamics. The Spanish research community contains a good number of groups that apply their knowledge on biology, physics, or chemistry to the study of viruses. Some of these groups got together in 2010 under the umbrella of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Network on Virus Biophysics (BioFiViNet). Thirteen years later, the network remains a fertile ground for interdisciplinary collaborations geared to reveal new aspects on the physical properties of virus particles, their role in regulating the infectious cycle, and their exploitation for the development of virus-based nanotechnology tools. Here, we highlight some achievements of Spanish groups in the field of physical virology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Biophysics in Spain 2.0)
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13 pages, 8969 KiB  
Review
Developmental Pattern Formation: Spanish Contributions from a Biophysical Perspective
by Javier Buceta and Léna Guitou
Biophysica 2023, 3(2), 335-347; https://doi.org/10.3390/biophysica3020022 - 06 May 2023
Viewed by 1838
Abstract
During the last few decades, developmental pattern formation has evolved from being a descriptive discipline to a quantitative one. That process has been possible due to the implementation of multidisciplinary approaches where biophysicists and mathematicians have played a key role. In this review, [...] Read more.
During the last few decades, developmental pattern formation has evolved from being a descriptive discipline to a quantitative one. That process has been possible due to the implementation of multidisciplinary approaches where biophysicists and mathematicians have played a key role. In this review, we highlight relevant Spanish contributions and stress their biophysical approaches, as well as provide some historical context. Finally, this work also aimed at bridging the concepts from biology to physics/math (and back) and at shedding light on some directions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Biophysics in Spain 2.0)
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