Dynamics of Membrane Proteins and Lipid Bilayers

Membrane proteins perform relevant physiological functions by means of intricate conformational changes in a hydrophobic environment. Lipid bilayers and embedded proteins, therefore, play a functional role in biomembranes, where the interplay of interactions keeps a delicate balance between cell barriers and selective transducers, transporters, pores, channels, etc. Molecular dynamics and experimental methods (e.g. X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, among others) encompass a set of tools to determine the relevant properties that make biomembranes so efficient for preserving life. In this chapter, I provide a perspective on studies that combine experimental methods and molecular dynamics approaches to decipher couplings of membrane proteins and lipid bilayers.