Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of biological membranes

Abstract

The investigation of the structural features in biological membranes represents a central topic in many aspects of biological science. It involves the study of the collective behavior of a great number of interacting macromolecules, while the study of the structure-function relationship require the observation and calculation of a large number of key factors. The self-assembly processes involved in biomembranes represent the cornerstone of the biological systems functioning, due to the special role of the complex macromolecular assemblies containing lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and other active components. In this article, we describe the main techniques and approaches employed for the investigation of biological membranes, which are characterized by a wide range of the space-time domains. The future challenge in this research field must provide the integration of the different research models and approaches into a common background based on multi- and interdisciplinary method that combine the expertise coming from the different disciplines.