Use of spectroscopic techniques to complement structural data and enhance mechanistic understanding of membrane proteins is often complicated by experimental discrepancies. Leone et al. address this challenge by applying an advanced simulation methodology to the interpretation of spectroscopic data for the transporter protein BetP.

Ryanodine receptors in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels on T tubules or the cell membrane coassemble into structures called couplons. Ríos et al. use quantitative simulations to test a simple hypothesis on the organization of couplons and derive functional implications of this arrangement.

ASCT2 is a transporter that exchanges neutral amino acids such as glutamine across the cell membrane, an essential process for rapidly growing cells, including cancerous ones. Ndaru et al. report the synthesis and characterization of a novel class of inhibitors useful for studying this transporter.