We have two new Special Collections on topics interesting to the membrane contact site community, each led by excellent Guest Editors: 1. Peroxisomes and Membrane Contact Sites journals.sagepub.com/topic/c… Guest Editors: Amit Joshi, Tennessee; Joe Costello, Exeter.

There’s an exciting line-up of speakers for the upcoming UK membrane contact sites conference September 28-30 near Bristol. Register here: eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f… organised by @JoeCost06620852 @ButtnerLab @AbelJonny @EmmanuelleBayer

A 3rd new article: the teams of Laura Lackner (Norhtwestern) and Tom Burgoyne (UCL) jointly review zones of contact between mitochondria and the plasma membrane across a wide variety of organisms, speculating on unknowns and discussing unanswered questions journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful…

Another new article: Ida J. van der Klei and colleagues (Groningen) show the Pex23 family of ER proteins with dysferlin domains have unexpected roles in aspects of lipid droplet function that are suppressed by an artificial ER-mitochondrion tether. journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful…

We have a new article from Emma Fenech, Maya Schuldiner & co. (Weizmann, Rehovot) on the yeast LAM family of sterol transfer proteins. They use proximity labeling to compare all 6 proteins, finding unique functions for paralogs and new functional links. journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful…

Contact across kingdoms: Rickettsia Parker intracellular parasites sit in the cytoplasm and form stable contacts with the endoplasmic reticulum.

We have a new review from Rajendra Angara, Margaret Sladek & Stacey Gilk @sdgilk (UNMC) about how intracellular pathogens parasitise the interface between lipid droplets and the ER journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful… Their focus is on the differing strategies of SARS-CoV-2 and Coxiella

Did you know we are the only journal dedicated to research on membrane contact sites? And yet the scope is wide - from lipidology to applications in human disease. Check it out: journals.sagepub.com/overvie…

Our latest article about proteostasis pathways shared between organelles is from @AKohler_Mito & @_VerenaKohler @umeauniversity. They address how proteostasis requires both major signalling processes (integrated stress response (ISR), UPR + more) and also direct physical contact.

The team of Mark Von Zastrow @UCSFPsychiatry show that one aspect of cAMP compartmentalization is through specific intracellular targeting of adenyl cyclases. "these results reveal a precise spatial landscape of the cAMP cascade" nature.com/articles/s41467-0…

Our most recent article is out: Johannes Frietag Thorsten Stehlik & Gert Bange (Marburg) describe a simple, powerful mechanism they recently uncovered for interaction between organelles: proteins with targeting sequences for both organelles are pulled both ways at the same time!!

We have 2 new articles out: Vesa Olkkonen @helsinkiuni & Elina Ikonen @IkonenLab have written a perspective reviewing the Oxysterol Binding Protein family journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful… Wei-Ke Ji (@2024_HUST, Wuhan) and colleagues have reviewed SMP proteins journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful…

We have a new review out from Tadashi Makio & Thomas Simmen @UAlberta_FoMD Not So Rare: Diseases Based on Mutant Proteins Controlling Endoplasmic ReticulumMitochondria Contact (MERC) Tethering journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful… Common features of rare diseases may help lead to treatments

Deadlines for abstracts and early-bird registration have been extended until 31 July 2024.... There are still 5 days left: eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f… ...see how the two halves of the hourglass are making a contact site?

The membrane contact site meeting in Edinburgh is coming up soon: Sept 23-25 And the deadline for abstracts is less than 2 weeks away: July 23 Since we have lots of slots for oral communications, get your abstract in now. Early bird discount same date bit.ly/Membrane24

The Meyer lab @WeillCornell show ER-PM contacts are involved in cell migration. Contacts are static in relation to cell matrix, so as a cell moves contacts go to the back. They turn off EGFR signals via PTP1B, propelling cells forward. See paper for details on contact asymmetry.

New article out in Contact - a mini-review with the "news"* about Spartin *almost 5 months old

The team of @LacknerLabNU at Northwestern University have shown that 3 way mitochondria/plasma membrane/ER contacts in yeast need the tether Num1 to bind VAP. Their outputs include regulating PI4P at the PM and mitochondrial division. The team offer lots of ideas for future work.

The group of Natividad Ruiz @OhioState have further mapped the role of RBG proteins in bacterial lipid traffic An RBG protein too short to cross the periplasm functions only when a protein in the same operon augments the b-structure to complete the bridge pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.23…

New work from the Imperi group #Roma3 study phospholipid traffic in Pseudomonas. Four out of the seven AsmA homologs (tamB, yhdP, ydbH, PA4735) are redundantly essential (at least one is required). There is rescue by lower LPS delivery, showing balance between the 2 OM leaflets.