title: Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites.
abstract: 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 difficulty in resolving the EPCS structure using conventional microscopy. Recently, however, plant protein complexes required for linking the ER and PM have been identified. This is a further step towards understanding the structure and function of plant EPCSs. We highlight some recent studies in this field and suggest several hypotheses that relate to the possible function of EPCSs in plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
authors.forename: Pengwei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hawes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK. Electronic address: p.j.hussey@durham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hussey
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: EPCS; ER–PM contact sites; VAP27 proteins; cytoskeletal organization; endoplasmic reticulum; membrane trafficking