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Molecular mechanisms of protein and lipid targeting to ciliary membranes.

ABSTRACT: Cilia are specialized surface regions of eukaryotic cells that serve a variety of functions, ranging from motility to sensation and to regulation of cell growth and differentiation. The discovery that a number of human diseases, collectively known as ciliopathies, result from defective cilium function has expanded interest in these structures. Among the many properties of cilia, motility and intraflagellar transport have been most extensively studied. The latter is the process by which multiprotein complexes associate with microtubule motors to transport structural subunits along the axoneme to and from the ciliary tip. By contrast, the mechanisms by which membrane proteins and lipids are specifically targeted to the cilium are still largely unknown. In this Commentary, we review the current knowledge of protein and lipid targeting to ciliary membranes and outline important issues for future study. We also integrate this information into a proposed model of how the cell specifically targets proteins and lipids to the specialized membrane of this unique organelle.

SUBMITTER: Emmer BT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2818192 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Molecular mechanisms of protein and lipid targeting to ciliary membranes.

Emmer Brian T BT Maric Danijela D Engman David M DM

Journal of cell science 20100201 Pt 4

Cilia are specialized surface regions of eukaryotic cells that serve a variety of functions, ranging from motility to sensation and to regulation of cell growth and differentiation. The discovery that a number of human diseases, collectively known as ciliopathies, result from defective cilium function has expanded interest in these structures. Among the many properties of cilia, motility and intraflagellar transport have been most extensively studied. The latter is the process by which multiprot ...[more]

PMID: 20145001

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Project description:Protection of the chromosome from scission by the division machinery during cytokinesis is critical for bacterial survival and fitness. This is achieved by nucleoid occlusion, which, in conjunction with other mechanisms, ensures formation of the division ring at midcell. In Escherichia coli, this mechanism is mediated by SlmA, a specific DNA binding protein that antagonizes assembly of the central division protein FtsZ into a productive ring in the vicinity of the chromosome. Here, we provide evidence supporting direct interaction of SlmA with lipid membranes, tuned by its binding partners FtsZ and SlmA binding sites (SBS) on chromosomal DNA. Reconstructions in minimal membrane systems that mimic cellular environments show that SlmA binds to lipid-coated microbeads or locates at the edge of microfluidic-generated microdroplets, inside which the protein is encapsulated. DNA fragments containing SBS sequences do not seem to be recruited to the membrane by SlmA but instead compete with SlmA's ability to bind lipids. The interaction of SlmA with FtsZ modulates this behavior, ultimately triggering membrane localization of the SBS sequences alongside the two proteins. The ability of SlmA to bind lipids uncovered in this work extends the interaction network of this multivalent regulator beyond its well-known protein and nucleic acid recognition, which may have implications in the overall spatiotemporal control of division ring assembly.IMPORTANCE Successful bacterial proliferation relies on the spatial and temporal precision of cytokinesis and its regulation by systems that protect the integrity of the nucleoid. In Escherichia coli, one of these protectors is SlmA protein, which binds to specific DNA sites around the nucleoid and helps to shield the nucleoid from inappropriate bisection by the cell division septum. Here, we discovered that SlmA not only interacts with the nucleoid and septum-associated cell division proteins but also binds directly to cytomimetic lipid membranes, adding a novel putative mechanism for regulating the local activity of these cell division proteins. We find that interaction between SlmA and lipid membranes is regulated by SlmA's DNA binding sites and protein binding partners as well as chemical conditions, suggesting that the SlmA-membrane interactions are important for fine-tuning the regulation of nucleoid integrity during cytokinesis.

Dataset Information

Molecular mechanisms of protein and lipid targeting to ciliary membranes.

Publications

Molecular mechanisms of protein and lipid targeting to ciliary membranes.

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