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Lipids at the crossroad: Shaping biological membranes heterogeneity defines trafficking pathways
1CNRS-University of Bordeaux, UMR 5200 Membrane Biogenesis Laboratory, INRA Bordeaux Aquitaine, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
Abstract:
Lipids are essential components of biological membranes that present a wide diversity in eukaryotic cells. Recent impressive advances in lipid biochemistry and biophysics have enabled a refocus of our view of lipids as functional units for cellular activity. However, the gap between molecular and cellular processes remains to be bridged. Here, 2 papers meet the burden of proof that choline transporters participate in local lipid composition modifications at the trans-Golgi network, an intracellular compartment that serves as the main sorting station in the cell. Localization of choline transporters to this precise compartment could be a way for plant cells to quickly modify the membrane lipid composition and asymmetry during both the allocation of cargos and the recruitment of trafficking machineries into distinct subcellular pathways.
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