Lipids at the crossroad: Shaping biological membranes heterogeneity defines trafficking pathways.

Yohann Boutté

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005188

Abstract

Lipids are essential components of biological membranes that present a wide diversity in eukaryotic cells. Recent impressive advances in lipid biochemistry and biophysics have enabled a refocus of our view of lipids as functional units for cellular activity. However, the gap between molecular and cellular processes remains to be bridged. Here, 2 papers meet the burden of proof that choline transporters participate in local lipid composition modifications at the trans-Golgi network, an intracellular compartment that serves as the main sorting station in the cell. Localization of choline transporters to this precise compartment could be a way for plant cells to quickly modify the membrane lipid composition and asymmetry during both the allocation of cargos and the recruitment of trafficking machineries into distinct subcellular pathways.

Highlights

Choline is an essential micronutrient that can be considered to be a vitamin to the extent that the human body is not able to synthesise it in a sufficient quantity to ensure good health
The ctl1cher1-4 mutant targets PIN1 and PIN3, but not other plasma membrane (PM) proteins, including the auxin carriers PIN2, AUX1, and LAX3 and the brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 [16]. These results indicate a specificity of trafficking substrates and fit well with a role of ceramide species in PIN1 PM recycling via clathrin-coated vesicle (CCV)/RAB-A2a compartments
Membrane trafficking is extremely dynamic, and remodelling of the lipid composition of vesicles is constantly occurring and serves as a platform for protein sorting and trafficking machineries that will define the nature of a vesicle and its fate inside the cell

Summary

OPEN ACCESS

Citation: Boutte Y (2018) Lipids at the crossroad: Shaping biological membranes heterogeneity defines trafficking pathways. PLoS Biol 16(2): e2005188. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pbio.2005188 Funding: The author received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist. Abbreviations: CCV, clathrin-coated vesicle; CDP, cytidine-diphosphate; CHT, high-affinity choline transporter; CTL, choline transporter-like; EE, early endosome; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; GIPC, glycosyl inositol phosphoryl ceramide; LE, late endosome; MVB, multivesicular body; PA, phosphatidic acid; PC, phosphatidylcholine; PD, plasmodesmata; PDCB, plasmodesmata callosebinding protein; PE, phosphatidylethanolamine; PLD, phospholipase D; PM, plasma membrane; SHR, SHORTROOT; SV, secretory vesicle; T-DNA, transfer DNA; TGN, trans-Golgi network.

What is new about choline transporters?

All roads lead to the TGN

Conclusion and perspectives