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Eisosome Ultrastructure and Evolution in Fungi, Microalgae, and Lichens.
Jae-Hyeok Lee1, John E Heuser2, Robyn Roth3
1Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Eukaryotic Cell
|August 9, 2015
Summary
Eisosomes, plasma membrane invaginations, are found in algae and ciliates, not just fungi. New BAR domain proteins, Green-BAR and Red-BAR, may organize these structures in algae.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Membrane Biology
- Eukaryotic Evolution
Background:
- Eisosomes are poorly understood plasma membrane invaginations found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Their associated proteins, including BAR domain proteins, are conserved in fungi.
- The function of eisosomes remains largely undefined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and structure of eisosomes in non-fungal eukaryotes.
- To identify potential molecular organizers of eisosomes in microalgae.
- To propose a model for eisosome formation.
Main Methods:
- Quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy for high-resolution imaging of membrane fracture faces.
- Comparative genomic analysis to identify conserved and lineage-specific genes.
- Structural modeling to propose a mechanism for BAR domain involvement.
Main Results:
- Eisosomes are present in red and green microalgae and ciliate cysts, expanding their known phylogenetic distribution.
- Microalgal eisosomes exhibit diverse topologies and lineage-specific intramembranous particle arrays.
- Algal genomes lack fungal eisosome-associated genes but contain novel Green-BAR and Red-BAR protein families.
Conclusions:
- Eisosomes are more widespread in eukaryotes than previously thought.
- BAR domain proteins, specifically Green-BAR and Red-BAR in algae, are likely key regulators of eisosome assembly.
- A model for eisosome formation involving electrostatic interactions and BAR domain unwinding is proposed.
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