Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 30373

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
Interests: membrane trafficking; rab proteins; endocytosis; cell migration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Communication between different membrane-enclosed compartments, as well as with the extracellular environment, is ensured by a complex system of trafficking pathways that transport proteins and other molecules via carrier vesicles along the cytoskeleton. The dynamic cytoskeleton also provides shape, rigidity, and motility to eukaryotic cells and their membranes. More recently, it has also been demonstrated that membranes and membrane-associated proteins can in turn affect cytoskeleton dynamics to carry out several functions. This joint coordination of cytoskeletal dynamics and membrane transport is at the basis of a plethora of functions, including cell motility and cell division, which influence physiological and pathological processes such as development, wound healing, immunity, and cancer.

This Special Issue of Membranes, “Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics”, invites contributions in the form of either original research articles or reviews on different aspects related to the function and regulation of the cytoskeleton and membrane compartments, and how these systems function in concert to control various cellular processes in health and diseases.

Dr. Cinzia Progida
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Membrane trafficking
  • Cytoskeleton
  • Cell migration
  • Organelles
  • Small GTPases

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 12939 KiB  
Article
Actin and Microtubules Differently Contribute to Vacuolar Targeting Specificity during the Export from the ER
by Monica De Caroli, Fabrizio Barozzi, Luciana Renna, Gabriella Piro and Gian-Pietro Di Sansebastiano
Membranes 2021, 11(4), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11040299 - 20 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2864
Abstract
Plants rely on both actin and microtubule cytoskeletons to fine-tune sorting and spatial targeting of membranes during cell growth and stress adaptation. Considerable advances have been made in recent years in the comprehension of the relationship between the trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE) and [...] Read more.
Plants rely on both actin and microtubule cytoskeletons to fine-tune sorting and spatial targeting of membranes during cell growth and stress adaptation. Considerable advances have been made in recent years in the comprehension of the relationship between the trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE) and cytoskeletons, but studies have mainly focused on the transport to and from the plasma membrane. We address here the relationship of the cytoskeleton with different endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export mechanisms toward vacuoles. These emergent features of the plant endomembrane traffic are explored with an in vivo approach, providing clues on the traffic regulation at different levels beyond known proteins’ functions and interactions. We show how traffic of vacuolar markers, characterized by different vacuolar sorting determinants, diverges at the export from the ER, clearly involving different components of the cytoskeleton. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics)
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Review

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13 pages, 746 KiB  
Review
Regulations of T Cell Activation by Membrane and Cytoskeleton
by Yoshihisa Kaizuka
Membranes 2020, 10(12), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120443 - 19 Dec 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2865
Abstract
Among various types of membrane proteins that are regulated by cytoskeleton, the T cell receptor (TCR) greatly benefits from these cellular machineries for its function. The T cell is activated by the ligation of TCR to its target agonist peptide. However, the binding [...] Read more.
Among various types of membrane proteins that are regulated by cytoskeleton, the T cell receptor (TCR) greatly benefits from these cellular machineries for its function. The T cell is activated by the ligation of TCR to its target agonist peptide. However, the binding affinity of the two is not very strong, while the T cell needs to discriminate agonist from many nonagonist peptides. Moreover, the strength and duration of the activation signaling need to be tuned for immunological functions. Many years of investigations revealed that dynamic acto-myosin cytoskeletons and plasma membranes in T cells facilitate such regulations by modulating the spatiotemporal distributions of proteins in plasma membranes and by applying mechanical loads on proteins. In these processes, protein dynamics in multiple scales are involved, ranging from collective molecular motions and macroscopic molecular organizations at the cell–cell interface to microscopic changes in distances between receptor and ligand molecules. In this review, details of how cytoskeletons and membranes regulate these processes are discussed, with the emphasis on how all these processes are coordinated to occur within a single cell system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics)
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21 pages, 1408 KiB  
Review
Lysosomal Exocytosis: The Extracellular Role of an Intracellular Organelle
by Brunella Tancini, Sandra Buratta, Federica Delo, Krizia Sagini, Elisabetta Chiaradia, Roberto Maria Pellegrino, Carla Emiliani and Lorena Urbanelli
Membranes 2020, 10(12), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120406 - 09 Dec 2020
Cited by 71 | Viewed by 11390
Abstract
Lysosomes are acidic cell compartments containing a large set of hydrolytic enzymes. These lysosomal hydrolases degrade proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids into their constituents. Materials to be degraded can reach lysosomes either from inside the cell, by autophagy, or from outside the [...] Read more.
Lysosomes are acidic cell compartments containing a large set of hydrolytic enzymes. These lysosomal hydrolases degrade proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids into their constituents. Materials to be degraded can reach lysosomes either from inside the cell, by autophagy, or from outside the cell, by different forms of endocytosis. In addition to their degradative functions, lysosomes are also able to extracellularly release their contents by lysosomal exocytosis. These organelles move from the perinuclear region along microtubules towards the proximity of the plasma membrane, then the lysosomal and plasma membrane fuse together via a Ca2+-dependent process. The fusion of the lysosomal membrane with plasma membrane plays an important role in plasma membrane repair, while the secretion of lysosomal content is relevant for the remodelling of extracellular matrix and release of functional substrates. Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) and age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, share as a pathological feature the accumulation of undigested material within organelles of the endolysosomal system. Recent studies suggest that lysosomal exocytosis stimulation may have beneficial effects on the accumulation of these unprocessed aggregates, leading to their extracellular elimination. However, many details of the molecular machinery required for lysosomal exocytosis are only beginning to be unravelled. Here, we are going to review the current literature on molecular mechanisms and biological functions underlying lysosomal exocytosis, to shed light on the potential of lysosomal exocytosis stimulation as a therapeutic approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics)
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21 pages, 1504 KiB  
Review
Macropinocytosis in Different Cell Types: Similarities and Differences
by Xiao Peng Lin, Justine D. Mintern and Paul A. Gleeson
Membranes 2020, 10(8), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10080177 - 03 Aug 2020
Cited by 90 | Viewed by 12504
Abstract
Macropinocytosis is a unique pathway of endocytosis characterised by the nonspecific internalisation of large amounts of extracellular fluid, solutes and membrane in large endocytic vesicles known as macropinosomes. Macropinocytosis is important in a range of physiological processes, including antigen presentation, nutrient sensing, recycling [...] Read more.
Macropinocytosis is a unique pathway of endocytosis characterised by the nonspecific internalisation of large amounts of extracellular fluid, solutes and membrane in large endocytic vesicles known as macropinosomes. Macropinocytosis is important in a range of physiological processes, including antigen presentation, nutrient sensing, recycling of plasma proteins, migration and signalling. It has become apparent in recent years from the study of specialised cells that there are multiple pathways of macropinocytosis utilised by different cell types, and some of these pathways are triggered by different stimuli. Understanding the physiological function of macropinocytosis requires knowledge of the regulation and fate of the macropinocytosis pathways in a range of cell types. Here, we compare the mechanisms of macropinocytosis in different primary and immortalised cells, identify the gaps in knowledge in the field and discuss the potential approaches to analyse the function of macropinocytosis in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Transport and Cytoskeleton Dynamics)
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