Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum–Plasma Membrane Contact Sites.pdfVIP

TRPLSC 1497 No. of Pages 9 Opinion Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum–Plasma Membrane Contact Sites Pengwei Wang,1 Chris Hawes,2 and Patrick J. Hussey1,* The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) acts as a superhighway with multiple sideroads that connects the different membrane compartments including the ER to the plasma membrane (PM). ER–PM contact sites (EPCSs) are a common feature in eukaryotic organisms, but have not been studied well in plants owing to the lack of molecular markers and to the dif?culty in resolving the EPCS structure using conventional microscopy. Recently, however, plant protein complexes required for linking the ER and PM have been identi?ed. This is a further step towards understanding the structure and function of plant EPCSs. We highlight some recent studies in this ?eld and suggest several hypotheses that relate to the possible function of EPCSs in plants. Trends The plant cortical ER network links to the PM through EPCSs. This is a common feature conserved across eukaryotic cells. The cytoskeletons are closely associated with EPCSs. Recent studies have revealed some of the protein components of plant EPCSs. These include NET3C, members of the VAP27 protein family, and synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1). Plant EPCS and the ER Network The cortical ER in plants forms a dynamic geometrical network of tubules and small cisternae underlying the PM [1]. The dynamics of this network and to a certain extent its geometrical organization are in part controlled by the cortical actin network [2] and several members of the myosin XI family [3,4]. However, depolymerization of cortical actin by drugs such as cytochalasin B or latrunculin B, although perturbing the ER network, do not result in its destruction [5]. The implication is that ER tubules DF[3c$I_T] an be anchored to other cellular components such as the microtubule cytoskeleton or the PM. Plant EPCSs may act as a structural scaffold that holds the highly dynamic ER network in position because SYT1 knockout mutants exhibit