Organelles articles within Nature Cell Biology

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  • Research Briefing |

    We show that the mitochondrial fission proteins MiD49 and MiD51 are activated by fatty acyl-coenzyme A (FA-CoA). FA-CoA binds in a previously identified pocket located within MiDs, inducing their oligomerization and ability to activate the dynamin DRP1, ultimately promoting mitochondrial fission. Activated MiDs synergize with mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) in stimulating DRP1 activity, leading us to hypothesize that MiDs act upstream of MFF during mitochondrial fission.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ding et al. find a mechanism coordinating fatty acid and glucose supply. Glucose-driven Golgi phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate levels impact the assembly of E3 ligase complex CUL7–FBXW8, controlling adipose triglyceride lipase levels and lipolysis.

    • Lianggong Ding
    • , Florian Huwyler
    •  & Christian Wolfrum

  • Review Article |

    Mathiowetz and Olzmann review our current understanding of the mechanisms of lipid droplet biogenesis and turnover, the transfer of lipids and metabolites at membrane contact sites, and the role of lipid droplets in regulating fatty acid flux in lipotoxicity and cell death.

    • Alyssa J. Mathiowetz
    •  & James A. Olzmann

  • News & Views |

    The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) controls the synthesis of lipids and proteins and Ca2+ homeostasis, as well as contacting other organelles and the plasma membrane. A study now looks at a process by which this compartment is remodelled in axons during neurogenesis: the lysosomal clearance of ER subdomains, driven by FAM134 and CCPG1 proteins.

    • Maurizio Molinari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hoyer et al. establish that selective autophagy mechanisms are needed to remodel the ER and its proteome during in vitro neurogenesis across neuronal subcompartments and decode the substrate selectivity of ER-phagy receptors.

    • Melissa J. Hoyer
    • , Cristina Capitanio
    •  & J. Wade Harper

  • News & Views |

    Despite a growing understanding of the immunostimulatory properties of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), little is known about how and why mtDNA escapes its mitochondrial confines. A study now describes an endosomal trafficking pathway that facilitates mtDNA egress and provides an additional mechanism of mtDNA release in vitro.

    • Kate McArthur
    •  & Benjamin T. Kile

  • News & Views |

    Extracellular vesicles carry proteins and lipids between cells. In a giant step forward for the field, a 2007 study published in Nature Cell Biology showed that secreted vesicles contain genetic material that is active within acceptor cells, reviving interest in extracellular vesicle-based communication in plant and animal biology.

    • Graça Raposo
    •  & Philip D. Stahl

  • News & Views |

    Cells use diverse mechanisms to rid themselves of dysfunctional or excess mitochondria. A study now shows that C. elegans sperm use a previously undescribed mechanism to rapidly expel single healthy mitochondria in membrane-bound structures called mitophers.

    • Diane C. Shakes

  • Comment |

    Mitochondria can shuttle between adjacent cells or travel to distant organs by breaking away from the parent cell and entering the circulation. Here, we briefly review the state of research into mitochondria transfer, and discuss a methodological framework for studying the process.

    • Snigdha Tiash
    • , Jonathan Robert Brestoff
    •  & Clair Crewe

  • Article |

    Tai et al. show that Hem25p—a mitochondrial glycine transporter required for haem biosynthesis—is also needed for isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) transport into mitochondria and coenzyme Q synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    • Jonathan Tai
    • , Rachel M. Guerra
    •  & David J. Pagliarini

  • Article |

    Kramer, Prakash et al. share genome-wide CRISPR screens for factors that alter the levels of two dual-genome-encoded Complex IV subunits, COX1 and COX4. They identify PREPL and NME6 as genes that connect mitochondrial metabolism to mtDNA expression.

    • Nicholas J. Kramer
    • , Gyan Prakash
    •  & L. Stirling Churchman

  • Review Article |

    The mechanisms controlling lysosome abundance in cells and how changes in lysosome pool size impact physiological and pathophysiological processes are discussed.

    • Anders P. Mutvei
    • , Michal J. Nagiec
    •  & John Blenis

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    Chung et al. identify the protein spartin, linked to Troyer syndrome, as a lipophagy receptor for lipid droplet clearance in vitro and in vivo. The data suggest that impaired lipid droplet turnover may contribute to Troyer syndrome development.

    • Jeeyun Chung
    • , Joongkyu Park
    •  & Robert V. Farese Jr.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Enkler et al. show that a pool of Arf1 at lipid droplets is implicated in mitochondrial ATP production control through regulation of fatty acid metabolism and acetyl-CoA transfer to mitochondria.

    • Ludovic Enkler
    • , Viktoria Szentgyörgyi
    •  & Anne Spang

  • News & Views |

    Mitochondria are dynamic organelles, changing their morphology and functional capacity in response to physiological and metabolic cues. A study uncovers a role for the typically nutrient-responsive mTORC2 during fasting in vivo to promote mitochondrial fission via the activation of a signalling pathway that involves NDRG1 and CDC42.

    • Miriam Valera-Alberni
    •  & William B. Mair

  • News & Views |

    Desmosomes and keratin are now found to regulate the distribution and dynamics of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This suggests that a range of ER functions may be coordinated by this intercellular adhesive and cytoskeletal network.

    • Robert M. Harmon
    •  & Cara J. Gottardi

  • Article |

    Bharathan et al. discover that the endoplasmic reticulum associates with keratin intermediate filaments and desmosomal cell–cell junctions, and that desmosomes and the keratin cytoskeleton regulate the distribution, dynamics and function of the endoplasmic reticulum network.

    • Navaneetha Krishnan Bharathan
    • , William Giang
    •  & Andrew P. Kowalczyk

  • News & Views |

    Receptor-mediated endocytosis delivers low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) to late endosomes, from where cholesterol is trafficked to mitochondria. Zhou et al. report that LDL-containing endosomes fuse with mitochondria, supplying cholesterol for steroid biosynthesis and enabling mitochondrial degradation of the LDL receptor.

    • Satoko Shinjo
    •  & Luca Scorrano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Han et al. identify the long non-coding RNA LIPTER as a key mediator of lipid droplet transport and metabolism in human cardiomyocytes. LIPTER overexpression mitigates cardiomyopathy and preserves cardiac function in obese and diabetic mouse models.

    • Lei Han
    • , Dayang Huang
    •  & Lei Yang

  • Research Briefing |

    This study reveals that thermogenic stimuli activate mitochondrial proteolysis via LONP1 to sustain the succinate levels required for efficient conversion of white adipocytes to beige adipocytes. Our work highlights mitochondrial proteases (mitoproteases) as a link between environmental stimuli, metabolite levels and cell identity switching.

  • News & Views |

    The Mediterranean diet correlates with increased human lifespan; it is rich in foods with high levels of cis-monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), such as olive oil. A study now shows that MUFAs stimulate a lipid droplet–peroxisome organelle network to decrease lipid oxidation and protect cell membranes during ageing.

    • Alexander Richard Mendenhall

  • Research Briefing |

    Acutely damaged lysosomes can regenerate themselves by repurposing damaged membranes. After damage, cytosolic TBC1D15 relocalizes to impaired lysosomes and assembles the autophagic lysosomal reformation machinery to drive this regeneration. This mechanism exemplifies an immediate cellular response to mitigate the crisis of severe lysosomal damage.

  • News & Views |

    Extramitochondrial coenzyme Q (CoQ) can function as a potent anti-ferroptosis radical trapper. However, it is largely unknown how CoQ is transported from mitochondria to the plasma membrane. A study now suggests that PARL-mediated STARD7 processing is responsible for the cellular distribution of CoQ.

    • Deguang Liang
    •  & Xuejun Jiang

  • Article |

    Zhang et al. have data suggesting that, in the chicken embryo, monocytes foster a pro-angiogenic microenvironment in advance of angiogenesis by depositing migrasomes enriched in angiogenic factors.

    • Cuifang Zhang
    • , Tianqi Li
    •  & Li Yu

  • News & Views |

    The Rag GTPases form the link between extracellular nutrients and the activation of mTORC1. RagA/B and RagC/D have been considered functionally redundant, but two studies now show that each isoform and gene have specific features, making their control of mTORC1 activity more nuanced and complex than previously appreciated.

    • Nicola Alesi
    •  & Elizabeth P. Henske

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gollwitzer, Grützmacher et al. and Figlia et al. establish that the various Rag GTPase genes and isoforms differentially regulate mTORC1 activity and distinctly modulate the responsiveness of mammalian cells to amino acid availability.

    • Peter Gollwitzer
    • , Nina Grützmacher
    •  & Constantinos Demetriades

  • Comment |

    The extracellular vesicle (EV) surface corona is emerging as a crucial mediator of EV functions. This Comment discusses the roles and biogenesis of the EV corona, as well as the importance of controls to determine whether a biological effect is attributable to the internal EV cargo or to the corona associated with the EV exofacial surface.

    • Edit I. Buzas

  • News & Views |

    The lysosome is an essential organelle that degrades extra- and intra-cellular components and acts as a signaling hub. A study in Caenorhabditis elegans now shows that the lysosome mediates inter-tissue communication from periphery to neurons to regulate lifespan via fatty acid breakdown and secretion.

    • Jason Wayne Miklas
    •  & Anne Brunet

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Savini et al. report that lysosomal lipolysis in peripheral adipose depots produces polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). PUFAs and the lipid chaperone LBP-3 induce a nuclear hormone receptor, neuropeptide-mediated cascade in neurons to extend lifespan.

    • Marzia Savini
    • , Andrew Folick
    •  & Meng C. Wang

  • Technical Report
    | Open Access

    John Peter et al. develop METALIC (Mass tagging-Enabled TrAcking of Lipids In Cells), an approach to track interorganelle lipid flux in live cells using organelle-targeted enzymatic labelling of lipid subpopulations and mass spectrometry.

    • Arun T. John Peter
    • , Carmelina Petrungaro
    •  & Benoît Kornmann

  • News & Views |

    Organic acidurias are inherited disorders that can severely affect mitochondria. A study in Caenorhabditis elegans suggests that binding of a toxic metabolite to a factor crucial for mitochondrial structure may contribute to disease mechanisms.

    • Till Klecker
    •  & Benedikt Westermann

  • News & Views |

    Biomolecular condensation has emerged as a fundamental mechanism for cellular organization, but less is known about the regulation of condensate subcellular location and size. A new study reports that membrane tethering of protein and RNA directly influences the assembly, size and material properties of ribonucleic condensates.

    • Lindsay B. Case

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