Biomembrane research is one of the leading edges of modern biology. Here the rise and development of biomembrane research in Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences after the "Cultural Revolution"was reviewed.
After the termination of the "Cultural Revolution", the leaders of Chinese Academy of Sciences became aware of the rapid progress of biomembrane research in other countries. A deputation led by YANG Fu-Yu from Institute of Biophysics with five other scientists from Institute of Biochemistry, Institute of Zoology, Institute of Botany, and Institute of Experimental Biology visited the Federal Republic of Germany. After their visitation, the leaders of Chinese Academy of Sciences realized the importance of multidisciplinary integration for biomembrane research, and organized an inter-institutional team composed of scientists from Institute of Biophysics, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Beijing Medical University. The inter-institutional team proposed a keynote research project entitled "The interaction between membrane lipids and membrane proteins and its application in medicine and agriculture", and got funded from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. At the same time, the leaders of Chinese Academy of Sciences suggested the Biophysical Society of China, the Chinese Society of Biochemistry and the Chinese Society for Cell Biology host the symposium on biomembrane research. The First National Symposium on Biomembrane was held in march 1979 in Beijing Friendship Hotel and the follow-up symposiums were held every three years and never been discontinued. This series of symposiums significantly promotes the development of biomembrane research and communication in China. In 2003, the 200th Xiangshan Science Conference was held with the topic "Biomembrane research in the 21st Centry", which carried the biomembrane research in China a step forward.
The key findings in membrane biology by Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, were also highlighted in the review: (1) The molecular mechanisms underlying the metal cations regulate energy transfer, material transportation and cell signaling in biomembranes via modulating lipid-protein interactions; (2) The important viewpoint that Keshan disease is an endemic mitochondrial cardiomyopathy in China; (3) The discovery that lysosomes contain trace amount of chymotrypsin, a well-known digestive enzyme, which mediates apoptosis after its relocation into the cytosol; (4) The finding about targeting mitochondrial dynamics to inhibits tumor cell metastasis. Finally, it must be pointed out that Prof. CHANG Wen-Rui, in cooperation with Prof. KUANG Ting-Yun of Institute of Botany, published their research work entitled "Crystal structure of spinach major light-harvesting complex at 2.72 ? resolution"in Nature in 2004, and Prof. RAO Zi-He, in cooperation with Prof. XU Jian-Xing, published their research work entitled "Crystal structure of mitochondrial respiratory membrane protein complex II" in Cell in 2005. These milestones indicated the significance of Chinese biomembrane research in the world.
In 2004, XU Tao was selected as the chief scientist for the first project on biomembrane funded by National Basic Research Program of Chinabecause of his expertise in membrane trafficking, suggesting that the biomembrane research in China enter a new period of development.