Effective cellular function requires both compartmentalization of tasks in space and time, and coordination of those efforts. The endoplasmic reticulum's (ER) expansive and ramifying structure makes it ideally suited to serve as a regulatory platform for organelle–organelle communication through membrane contacts. These contact sites consist of two membranes juxtaposed at a distance less than 30 nm that mediate the exchange of lipids and ions without the need for membrane fission or fusion, a process distinct from classical vesicular transport. Membrane contact sites are positioned by organelle-specific membrane–membrane tethering proteins and contain a growing number of additional proteins that organize information transfer to shape membrane identity. Here we briefly review the role of ER-containing membrane junctions in two important cellular functions: calcium signalling and phosphoinositide processing.
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April 2016
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Cover Image
Cover Image
Endoplasmic reticulumendosome contact sites. This pseudo-colored electron microscopy image shows the formation of inter-organelle membrane contact sites between late endosomes (magenta) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER; green). This tethering results from the interaction between two ER-anchored proteins (VAP-A and VAP-B) and the late endosomeanchored protein STARD3NL. Mitochondria: brown; nucleus: blue. For further details see pp. 493-498. Image kindly provided by Fabien Alpy. - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Review Article|
April 11 2016
Regulation of calcium and phosphoinositides at endoplasmic reticulum–membrane junctions
Eamonn J. Dickson;
Eamonn J. Dickson
1
*Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email dickson2@uw.edu).
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Jill B. Jensen;
Jill B. Jensen
*Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, U.S.A.
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Bertil Hille
Bertil Hille
*Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 07 2016
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2016 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited
2016
Biochem Soc Trans (2016) 44 (2): 467–473.
Article history
Received:
January 07 2016
Citation
Eamonn J. Dickson, Jill B. Jensen, Bertil Hille; Regulation of calcium and phosphoinositides at endoplasmic reticulum–membrane junctions. Biochem Soc Trans 15 April 2016; 44 (2): 467–473. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20150262
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