Symmetry in Biophysics

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 4250

Special Issue Editor

Faculty of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As a science of the principles and mechanisms of functioning of living systems, biophysics comes to the realization that symmetry is not only a manifestation of the structural features and functions of living systems but the physical basis for their occurrence and evolution. It is possible to consider the symmetry foundations of spatiotemporal self-organization in active media with a distributed energy resource as a way toward the emergence of a self-consistent system of biosynthesis and metabolism. The consideration of chirality (homochirality) is possible not only as a characteristic symmetry feature of living systems, but also as a tool for consistent symmetry breaking in the hierarchical structure formation of macromolecules and molecular machines, and the consistency of all molecular biology. In this Special Issue, the systemic role of symmetry and symmetry violations could be revealed from the standpoint of various sciences and approaches in the formation of molecular and cellular structures in phylogenesis and ontogenesis.

This Special Issue invites reviews, new insights, and research on these topics at any level of biophysical phenomena.

Prof. Dr. Vsevolod A. Tverdislov
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. Symmetry 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 2400 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

  • Symmetry and self-organization
  • Symmetry in molecules and cells
  • Symmetry in embryogenesis
  • Symmetry in plants
  • Chirality and homochirality
  • Symmetry in biomimetics
  • Molecular machines

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2560 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Heterogeneity of Wheat Kernels as a Traditional Model Object in Connection with the Asymmetry of Development
by Ekaterina N. Baranova, Tatiana S. Aniskina, Viktoria A. Kryuchkova, Olga A. Shchuklina, Marat R. Khaliluev and Alexander A. Gulevich
Symmetry 2022, 14(6), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14061124 - 30 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1897
Abstract
Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world, providing food for most of the world’s population. Wheat seeds are a popular model object for many experiments to evaluate various factors that improve germination or protect against various adverse stressful effects. [...] Read more.
Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world, providing food for most of the world’s population. Wheat seeds are a popular model object for many experiments to evaluate various factors that improve germination or protect against various adverse stressful effects. Based on the high significance of increasing the productivity of this cereal crop and the applicability of this object, a detailed statistical evaluation of wheat grain (kernel) morphometry was carried out to assess the asymmetry of parameters of this ideal model. Depending on the location of the kernels in the spikelet of a wheat spike, there was a significant asymmetry between the right and left cheeks of the kernels located closer or further from the center of the spikelet. The expressiveness of asymmetry, and consequently, the kernel deformation was higher in the lower kernels of the spikelet. The degree of symmetry; that is, the similarity of the two halves (cheeks) and the kernel as a whole, was higher in kernels located higher in the spikelet. It seems that the reason for this phenomenon lies in the mechanical nature of kernel deformation. The ultrastructure of A-type and B-type starch grains in the central part of the kernel had significant differences between the upper and lower kernels, which indicated in favor of a high probability of differences by the composition and quality of kernels of the same variety when assessed separately. Uniform development of kernels and smaller differences between them may reveal more valuable genotypes in the future, provided their steady reproduction under adverse conditions of a changing climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry in Biophysics)
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17 pages, 5508 KiB  
Article
Protein Helical Structures: Defining Handedness and Localization Features
by Alla E. Sidorova, Ekaterina V. Malyshko, Aleksey O. Lutsenko, Denis K. Shpigun and Olga E. Bagrova
Symmetry 2021, 13(5), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13050879 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2369
Abstract
The quantitative evaluation of the chirality of macromolecule structures remains one of the exciting issues in biophysics. In this paper, we propose methods for quantitative analysis of the chirality of protein helical and superhelical structures. The analysis of the chirality sign of the [...] Read more.
The quantitative evaluation of the chirality of macromolecule structures remains one of the exciting issues in biophysics. In this paper, we propose methods for quantitative analysis of the chirality of protein helical and superhelical structures. The analysis of the chirality sign of the protein helical structures (α-helices and 310-helices) is based on determining the mixed product of every three consecutive vectors between neighboring reference points—α-carbons atoms. The method for evaluating the chirality sign of coiled-coil structures is based on determining the direction and value of the angle between the coiled-coil axis and the α-helices axes. The chirality sign of the coiled coil is calculated by averaging the value of the cosine of the corresponding angle for all helices forming the superhelix. Chirality maps of helical and superhelical protein structures are presented. Furthermore, we propose an analysis of the distributions of helical and superhelical structures in polypeptide chains of several protein classes. The features common to all studied classes and typical for each protein class are revealed. The data obtained, in all likelihood, can reflect considerations about molecular machines as chiral formations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry in Biophysics)
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