Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Membrane sorting

Endosome marker is fat not fiction

Nature volume 392, pages 135–136 (1998)Cite this article

Each organelle in a eukaryotic cell performs a specific set of functions that are reflected in the unique protein composition of that organelle, and such organelle-specific or ‘marker’ enzymes have been invaluable in monitoring the purification of organelles by subcellular fractionation. Appropriately labelled antibodies directed against organelle-specific marker proteins have also been used to identify organelles and study their structure by immunofluorescence or immuno-electron microscopy.

On page 193 of this issue Kobayashi and colleagues1 report how, in characterizing a new monoclonal antibody that specifically identifies late endosomes, they unexpectedly found that the antigen recognized is a lipid — lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA). The presence of the antibody perturbs both the structure and function of the late endosomes, suggesting a critical role for LBPA. Moreover, the authors found that this same lipid antigen is recognized by autoimmune sera from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome, providing new insights into the pathological basis of this disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Endosomes — sorting stations along the endocytic pathway.

References

  1. Kobayashi, T. et al. Nature 392, 193–197 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Mellman, I. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 12, 575–625 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Futter, C. E., Pearse, A., Hewlett, L. J. & Hopkins, C. R. J. Cell Biol. 132, 1011–1023 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Griffiths, G., Hoflack, B., Simons, K., Mellman, I. & Kornfeld, S. Cell 52, 329–341 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  5. DeCamilli, P., Emr, S. D., McPherson, P. S. & Novick, P. Science 271, 1533–1539 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Simons, K. & Ikonen, E. Nature 387, 569–572 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chernomordik, L., Kozlov, M. M. & Zimmerberg, J. J. Membr. Biol. 146, 1–14 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Wherrett, J. R. & Huterer, S. J. Biol. Chem. 247, 4144–4120 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Stremmel, W. & Debuch, H. Hoppe-Seyler's Z. Physiol. Chem. 357, 803–810 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cluett, E. B., Kuismanen, E. & Machamer, C. E. Mol. Biol. Cell 8, 2233–2240 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Huterer, S. J. & Wherret, J. R. Biochem. Cell Biol. 68, 366–372 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, California, USA

    Sandra L. Schmid

  2. the Department of Biochemistry, University of British Columbia, 2146 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, British Columbia, Canada

    Pieter R. Cullis

Authors
  1. Sandra L. Schmid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pieter R. Cullis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schmid, S., Cullis, P. Endosome marker is fat not fiction. Nature 392, 135–136 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/32309

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/32309

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing