title: Lipid transfer and signaling at organelle contact sites: the tip of the iceberg.
abstract: Membrane contact sites (MCSs) are formed by the close apposition of membranes of two organelles. They are zones where signals and small molecules, such as lipids and calcium, are exchanged between intracellular compartments. The past few years have seen considerable progress in our understanding of how MCSs form and facilitate the exchange of lipids and signals. Here we summarize what has been learned about MCSs between the endoplamic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane, the ER and mitochondria, and the ER and endosomes or lysosomes. These findings suggest that we are just beginning to understand how MCSs form and function.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Biochemistry and Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toulmay
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Prinz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D011992:Endosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015003:Yeasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism