title: A structural role for lipids in organelle shaping.
abstract: The importance of proteins in shaping the membranes that define the perimeters of organelles is well documented. By forming cross-links, motors, or scaffolds or by inserting into membranes, proteins can harness energy to deform membranes, particularly when high degrees of curvature are necessitated-as in small membrane vesicles, tubules of the endoplasmic reticulum, the edges of endoplasmic reticulum sheets or Golgi apparatus cisternae, and membrane fusion intermediates (stalks). Here we propose that membrane lipids displaying negative curvature act in concert with membrane proteins to contribute to the alteration and maintenance of bending in biological membranes. We emphasize recent data from studies of sea urchin eggs and embryos and suggest how novel approaches can lead to future directions for investigating the roles of such lipids in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Amherst College, Massachusetts 01002, USA.
authors.forename: Alan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Aupola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kundu
authors.forename: Burr
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Banafshé
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larijani
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poccia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D047331:Lytechinus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008845:Microinjections; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004075:Diglycerides; D004798:Enzymes; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes