Lipid transfer between cell membrane bilayers at contacts between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and other membranes help to maintain membrane lipid homeostasis. We found that two similar ER integral membrane proteins, oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP)–related protein 5 (ORP5) and ORP8, tethered the ER to the plasma membrane (PM) via the interaction of their pleckstrin homology domains with phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI4P) in this membrane. Their OSBP-related domains (ORDs) harbored either PI4P or phosphatidylserine (PS) and exchanged these lipids between bilayers. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments showed that ORP5 and ORP8 could mediate PI4P/PS counter transport between the ER and the PM, thus delivering PI4P to the ER-localized PI4P phosphatase Sac1 for degradation and PS from the ER to the PM. This exchange helps to control plasma membrane PI4P levels and selectively enrich PS in the PM.

Growing evidence suggests that close appositions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and other membranes, including appositions with the plasma membrane (PM), mediate exchange of lipids between the two bilayers. The mechanisms of such exchange, which allows lipid transfer independently of vesicular transport, remain poorly understood. The presence of an SMP (synaptotagmin-like-mitochondrial-lipid binding protein) domain, a proposed lipid binding module, in several proteins localized at membrane contact sites raised the possibility that such domains may be implicated in lipid transport1,2. SMP-containing proteins include components of the ERMES complex, an ER-mitochondrial tether3, and the Extended-Synaptotagmins/tricalbins, which are ER-PM tethers4-6. Here we present at 2.44 Å resolution the crystal structure of a fragment of Extended-Synaptotagmin 2 (E-Syt2), including an SMP domain and two adjacent C2 domains. The SMP domain has a beta-barrel structure like protein modules in the TULIP superfamily. It dimerizes to form a ~90 Å long cylinder traversed by a channel lined entirely with hydrophobic residues, with the two C2A-C2B fragments forming arched structures flexibly linked to the SMP domain. Importantly, structural analysis complemented by mass spectrometry revealed the presence of glycerophospholipids in the E-Syt2 SMP channel, indicating a direct role for E-Syts in lipid transport. These findings provide strong evidence for a role of SMP domain containing proteins in the control of lipid transfer at membrane contact sites and have broad implication beyond the field of ER to PM appositions.

Similar to other positive-strand RNA viruses, rhinovirus, the causative agent of the common cold, replicates on a web of cytoplasmic membranes, orchestrated by host proteins and lipids. The host pathways that facilitate the formation and function of the replication membranes and complexes are poorly understood. We show that rhinovirus replication depends on host factors driving phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI4P)-cholesterol counter-currents at viral replication membranes. Depending on the virus type, replication required phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase class 3beta (PI4K3b), cholesteryl-esterase hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) or oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP)-like 1, 2, 5, 9, or 11 associated with lipid droplets, endosomes, or Golgi. Replication invariably required OSBP1, which shuttles cholesterol and PI4P between ER and Golgi at membrane contact sites. Infection also required ER-associated PI4P phosphatase Sac1 and phosphatidylinositol (PI) transfer protein beta (PITPb) shunting PI between ER-Golgi. These data support a PI4P-cholesterol counter-flux model for rhinovirus replication.

Metabolic highways may be orchestrated by the assembly of sequential enzymes into protein complexes, or metabolons, to facilitate efficient channeling of intermediates and to prevent undesired metabolic cross-talk while maintaining metabolic flexibility. Here we report the isolation of the dynamic metabolon that catalyzes the formation of the cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin, a defense compound produced in sorghum plants. The metabolon was reconstituted in liposomes, which demonstrated the importance of membrane surface charge and the presence of the glucosyltransferase for metabolic channeling. We used in planta fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to study functional and structural characteristics of the metabolon. Understanding the regulation of biosynthetic metabolons offers opportunities to optimize synthetic biology approaches for efficient production of high-value products in heterologous hosts.

INTRODUCTION Insulin is secreted by pancreatic β cells in response to glucose stimulation. Its release is controlled by the interplay of calcium and phosphoinositide signaling pathways. A rapid release phase, in which insulin containing granules that are already docked and primed at the plasma membrane (PM) undergo exocytosis, is followed by slow release. In this second phase, granules are docked and primed and then released in a series of bursts, each triggered by a spike in cytosolic Ca2+. RATIONALE To better understand the molecular basis underlying insulin secretion, we characterized TMEM24, a protein enriched in neuroendocrine cells previously suggested to be required for a normal secretory response. RESULTS We found that TMEM24 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that concentrates at ER-PM contact sites, where it tethers the two bilayers. TMEM24 binding “in trans” to the PM is negatively regulated by phosphorylation in response to elevation of cytosolic Ca2+, so that TMEM24 transiently dissociates from the PM as Ca2+ concentration spikes and then reassociates with this membrane upon dephosphorylation. Additionally, TMEM24 contains a lipid transport module of the synaptotagmin-like, mitochondrial and lipid-binding protein (SMP) family, which we structurally characterized and showed to bind glycerolipids with a preference for phosphatidylinositol (PI). Thus, TMEM24 helps deliver PI, which is synthesized in the ER, to the PM, where it is converted to phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] to replenish pools of this lipid hydrolyzed during glucose-stimulated signaling. Supporting a key role of TMEM24 in the coordination of Ca2+ and phosphoinositide signaling, the lipid transport function of TMEM24 is essential for sustaining the intracellular Ca2+ oscillations that trigger bursts of insulin granule release and hence insulin secretion. PI(4,5)P2 is required for Ca2+-dependent exocytosis. It also controls the activity of PM ion channels that regulate cytosolic Ca2+ levels and is the precursor of IP3, which also helps to modulate cytosolic Ca2+ by triggering Ca2+ release from the ER. Thus, in insulin-secreting cells, TMEM24 participates in coordinating Ca2+ and phosphoinositide signaling pathways to cause pulsatile insulin secretion (see the figure). CONCLUSION Our findings implicate ER-PM contact sites and an ER resident lipid-transfer protein in the direct regulation of PM phosphoinositide pools, offering fresh insights into the mechanisms of cellular phosphoinositide dynamics. More specifically, they elaborate the mechanisms underlying insulin secretion, which is impaired in patients with type II diabetes, and may ultimately have therapeutic ramifications. TMEM24 activity cycle at ER-PM contacts Glucose stimulation of insulin-secreting cells triggers Ca2+ influx, phospholipase C–dependent PI(4,5)P2 cleavage, and granule exocytosis. Ca2+-stimulated phosphorylation causes TMEM24 dissociation from the PM and interruption of SMP-mediated PI transfer that allows PI(4,5)P2 resynthesis. Lower...