Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an organelle that is responsible for many essential subcellular processes. Interconnected narrow tubules at the periphery and thicker sheet-like regions in the perinuclear region are linked to the nuclear envelope. It is becoming apparent that the complex morphology and dynamics of the ER are linked to its function. Mutations in the proteins involved in regulating ER structure and movement are implicated in many diseases including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ER is also hijacked by pathogens to promote their replication. Bacteria such as Legionella pneumophila and Chlamydia trachomatis, as well as the Zika virus, bind to ER morphology and dynamics-regulating proteins to exploit the functions of the ER to their advantage. This review covers our understanding of ER morphology, including the functional subdomains and membrane contact sites that the organelle forms. We also focus on ER dynamics and the current efforts to quantify ER motion and discuss the diseases related to ER morphology and dynamics.
Highlights
It has been suggested that membrane contact sites (MCSs) between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and other organelles may be more common in the ribosome-free tubular region of the network, those MCSs formed with the plasma membrane, endosomes, lipid droplets and mitochondria [73,74,75,76,77,78]
As MCSs between the ER and other organelles, the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and endosomes [73,74,75,76,77,78], preferentially form in the tubular ER network, these findings suggest that lipid transfer occurs primarily in the tubular ER
ER-associated microtubule motors are not the only means by which the ER interacts with the cytoskeleton, and we describe how tubules can be extended by interactions with growing microtubules via tip attachment complexes (TACs) and by association with motile MCSs
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The complex structure of the ER is maintained by a variety of proteins including reticulons, REEPs, and atlastins [2,3,4] These morphology-regulating proteins promote membrane curvature [2,3], drive tubule fusion [4,5,6,7,8], stabilise junctions [9,10,11], regulate sheet spacing [12,13,14], and tether the ER to microtubules [15,16,17]. A discussion of the subdomain organisation of the ER in neuronal cells is presented in another article of this special issue [32]
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