Cell News—Endoplasmic reticulum protein involved in plasma membrane lipid regulation

Electron micrograph of rough endoplasmic reticulum from Chapter 5 of 'The Cell, 2nd Ed.' by Don W. Fawcett M.D. Image sourced from The Cell Image Library.

Electron micrograph of rough endoplasmic reticulum from Chapter 5 of ‘The Cell, 2nd Ed.’ by Don W. Fawcett M.D. Image sourced from The Cell Image Library.

Organelles once thought to be independent are coming to light as allies. Research in the last few years has built evidence that interactions between the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane play a role in lipid synthesis. However, the molecular mechanisms are still being investigated. Now ASCB member Yasunori Saheki and colleagues in ASCB President-Elect Pietro De Camilli’s lab at Yale University propose a role for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins, extended synatotagmins (E-Syts), in the process. Their research indicates that E-Syts tether the ER to the plasma membrane and prevent diacylglycerol accumulation following signaling that leads to PtdIns (4,5)P2 cleavage in the plasma membrane. E-Syts likely do this by lipid transfer to the ER. Published in Nature Cell Biology.

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