Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites: Regulators, Mechanisms, and Physiological Functions

Chenlu Li; Tiantian Qian; Ruyue He; Chun Wan; Yinghui Liu; Haijia Yu

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.627700

Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites: Regulators, Mechanisms, and Physiological Functions

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Feb 4:9:627700. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.627700. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Chenlu Li¹, Tiantian Qian¹, Ruyue He¹, Chun Wan², Yinghui Liu¹, Haijia Yu¹

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
² Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States.

Abstract

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms direct membrane contact sites with the plasma membrane (PM) in eukaryotic cells. These ER-PM contact sites play essential roles in lipid homeostasis, ion dynamics, and cell signaling, which are carried out by protein-protein or protein-lipid interactions. Distinct tethering factors dynamically control the architecture of ER-PM junctions in response to intracellular signals or external stimuli. The physiological roles of ER-PM contact sites are dependent on a variety of regulators that individually or cooperatively perform functions in diverse cellular processes. This review focuses on proteins functioning at ER-PM contact sites and highlights the recent progress in their mechanisms and physiological roles.

Keywords: endoplasmic reticulum (ER); enzyme; lipid transfer; membrane contact sites (MCSs); plasma membrane; tether.

Publication types

Review