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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Split-Luciferase Reassembly Assay to Measure Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Contacts in Live Cells
Published on: October 11, 2024
[Junctophilin, a molecule that couples endo (sarco) plasma membrane to cell membrane]
Peng Zhang1, Yue Yu, Shi-Qiang Wang
1College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Abstract:
Junctophilin is a molecule that couples endo (sarco) plasma membrane to plasma membrane in excitable cells. Its C terminal anchors into the endo (sarco) plasmic reticulum, while its N terminal interacts with plasma membrane via the MORN motifs. Mammalian junctophilin has four subtypes, among which Jp-1 and Jp-2 exist mainly in skeletal and cardiac muscle, respectively. In muscle cells, low expression of junctophilin decouples the sarcoplasmic reticulum from plasma membrane, decreases the efficiency of excitation-contraction coupling efficiency, and thereby compromises the contractility of heart and muscles. Many human diseases such as heart failure accompany with junctophilin mutations, so junctophilin may become a new target against these diseases.
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