Many of us are used to seeing cartoons of cells with organelles shown as static, isolated structures. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is often shown looking like a stack of pancakes pushed up against the nuclear envelope. In her first talk, Dr. Gia Voeltz explains that recent advances in light microscopy have given us a very different view of organelles and their interactions. The ER is, in fact, an expansive, and highly dynamic, network of tubules that spreads throughout the cell. It interacts with other organelles such as the plasma membrane, endosomes, and mitochondria at points called membrane contact sites. Using beautiful fluorescent images and movies, Voeltz shows us that these ER membrane contact sites are important for many functions such as trafficking lipids and Ca2+ and determining where mitochondria divide and endosomes undergo fission. These exciting findings define a new cellular function for the ER.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Contact Sites
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a dynamic network of tubules that reaches throughout a cell. It interacts with other organelles at membrane contact sites. As Dr. Gia Voeltz explains, these sites are critical for Ca2+ regulation, lipid transport and defining sites of division for endosomes and other organelles. (Talk recorded in January 2019)
- Part 1: Factors and Functions of Organelle Membrane Contact SitesAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:24:33 - Part 2: Using BioID to Identify Membrane Contact Site FactorsAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:23:33