Physiological lipid composition is vital for homotypic ER membrane fusion mediated by the dynamin-related GTPase Sey1p

Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 3:6:20407. doi: 10.1038/srep20407.

Abstract

Homotypic fusion of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is required for generating and maintaining the characteristic reticular ER membrane structures. This organelle membrane fusion process depends on the ER-bound dynamin-related GTPases, such as atlastins in animals and Sey1p in yeast. Here, to investigate whether specific lipid molecules facilitate GTPase-dependent ER membrane fusion directly, we comprehensively evaluated membrane docking and lipid mixing of reconstituted proteoliposomes bearing purified Sey1p and a set of ER-mimicking lipids, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidic acid, and ergosterol. Remarkably, we revealed that each specific lipid species contributed little to membrane docking mediated by Sey1p. Nevertheless, Sey1p-dependent lipid mixing was strongly reduced by omitting three major acidic lipids from the ER-mimicking set and, moreover, was entirely abolished by omitting either phosphatidylethanolamine or ergosterol. Our reconstitution studies thus established that physiological lipid composition is vital for lipid bilayer rearrangements in GTPase-mediated homotypic ER membrane fusion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / physiology
  • Ergosterol / chemistry
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry*
  • Membrane Fusion / physiology*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • SEY1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • Ergosterol