Preprint: PIKfyve influences inter-organelle contacts with lysosomes to modulate the endoplasmic reticulum
WHY IT MATTERS
This research identifies PIKfyve's role in cellular organization, which is directly relevant to patients with PIKfyve-associated lysosomal storage disorders and neurological conditions caused by PIKfyve mutations, as understanding this mechanism could lead to targeted therapies.
Scientists discovered that a protein called PIKfyve helps control how cells manage their internal structures, particularly the endoplasmic reticulum (a network inside cells that makes proteins) and lysosomes (the cell's cleanup compartments). When PIKfyve doesn't work properly, the endoplasmic reticulum becomes less flexible and organized. This research helps explain how cells maintain their internal organization and could eventually lead to treatments for diseases caused by PIKfyve problems.
PIKfyve influences inter-organelle contacts with lysosomes to modulate the endoplasmic reticulum Authors: Jenkins, N. et al. Server: bioRxiv Category: cell biology Abstract: Lysosomes clear unwanted cellular material delivered by constant membrane fusion. Membrane fission is thus required to balance lysosome size, number, and composition. PIKfyve is a lipid kinase that converts phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate [PtdIns(3)P] to phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(3,5)P2] and promotes lysosome fission since lysosomes coalesce into larger, but fewer organelles in its absence. Here, we reveal a role for PIKfyve in regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dynamics. We show the ER is less reticulated and motile in cells inhibited for PIKfyve. Partly, this arises b