Abstract
Sparkes is funded by the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2015-106) and the Science and Technology Funding Council (PM-1216), and by the BBSRC (BB/I006184/2) for some of the work reported herein. I would like to thank Prof Botchway and Dr Ward for insightful discussions regarding optical tweezers. Due to space restrictions, I would like to apologize to those whose work is not included herein.
Highlights
Compartmentalisation is a defining feature of eukaryotic life
Static snapshots provided through ultrastructural studies of preserved tissue highlight that certain organelles are in intimate contact at membrane contact sites (MCSs), referred to as interorganellar tethering sites
Readers are directed to the Frontiers special topic (Schrader and Islinger, 2016) and the special issue of Current Opinion in Cell Biology dedicated to cell organelles including MCSs (Schuldiner and Guo, 2015)
Summary
Compartmentalisation is a defining feature of eukaryotic life. Effective communication between organelles is essential for cell maintenance, growth and response to external stimuli. Key questions relate to defining which organelles physically interact, deciphering the molecular components that control MCS formation, and deciphering the specific functional role that the interaction provides to the cell (Figure 1). I will provide an overview of the techniques used to interrogate MCSs and how optical tweezers could provide a future platform for characterizing the biophysical nature of MCSs. Tethers have been isolated using multiple techniques, a difficulty has been being able to discriminate between a role in physical tethering versus a role in transferring components at the MCS itself.
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