Peroxisome population control by phosphoinositide signaling at the endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane interface

Phosphoinositides are lipid signaling molecules acting at the interface of membranes and the cytosol to regulate membrane trafficking, lipid transport and responses to extracellular stimuli. Peroxisomes are multicopy organelles that are highly responsive to changes in metabolic and environmental conditions. In yeast, peroxisomes are tethered to the cell cortex at defined focal structures containing the peroxisome inheritance protein, Inp1p. We investigated the potential impact of changes in cortical phosphoinositide levels on the peroxisome compartment of the yeast cell. Here we show that the phosphoinositide, phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI4P), found at the junction of the cortical endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane (cER-PM) acts to regulate the cell's peroxisome population. In cells lacking a cER-PM tether or the enzymatic activity of the lipid phosphatase Sac1p, cortical PI4P is elevated, peroxisome numbers and motility are increased, and peroxisomes are no longer firmly tethered to Inp1p-containing foci. Reattachment of the cER to the PM through an artificial ER-PM "staple" in cells lacking the cER-PM tether does not restore peroxisome populations to the wild-type condition, demonstrating that integrity of PI4P signaling at the cell cortex is required for peroxisome homeostasis.