Main description:

This volume of Current Topics in Membranes focuses on Membrane Fusion, beginning with fusion and fission of lipid bilayers, with reviews focused on hemifusion and dynamic remodeling of membranes catalyzed by dynamin. Other topics discussed include viral fusion, intracellular fusion, developmental cell fusion, and theoretical modeling.

Contents:

Fusion and fission of lipid bilayers

The Pathway to Membrane Fusion through Hemifusion
Joerg Nikolaus, Jason M. Warner, Ben O'Shaughnessy and Andreas Herrmann

Dynamic Remodeling of Membranes Catalyzed by Dynamin
Thomas J. Pucadyil

Viral fusion

Structure and working of viral fusion machineries
Aurelie Albertini, Stephane Bressanelli, Jean Lepault and Yves Gaudin

Membrane fusion mediated by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope glycoprotein
Melikyan G.B

The Reovirus Fusion-Associated Small Transmembrane (FAST) Proteins: Virus-Encoded Cellular Fusogens
Julie Boutilier and Roy Duncan

Intracellular fusion

C2 domains and membrane fusion
Sascha Martens and Harvey T. McMahon

Chasing the trails of SNAREs and lipids along the membrane fusion pathway
Tae-Young Yoon, Dae-Hyuk Kweon and Yeon-Kyun Shin

Inferring Structures of Kinetic Intermediates in Ca2+-Triggered Exocytosis
Meyer B. Jackson

Developmental cell fusion

Eukaryotic Cell-Cell Fusion Families
Ori Avinoam and Benjamin Podbilewicz

Invasive Podosomes and Myoblast Fusion
Elizabeth Chen

Theoretical modeling

Lipid Acrobatics in the Membrane Fusion Arena
Albert J. Markvoort and Siewert J. Marrink

An Alternate Path for Fusion and its Exploration by Field-Theoretic Means

Marcus Muller and M. Schick