Tunable Chemical and Optical Control of ER-Plasma Membrane Contact Site Geometry and Dynamics with High-Fidelity Visualization.

ABSTRACT: Endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane (ER-PM) contact sites are essential signaling hubs that regulate lipid transport, calcium homeostasis, and spatially organized signal transduction. Emerging evidence indicates that not only the presence but also the dynamics, stability, and geometry of ER-PM contacts critically shape cellular functions; however, tools that enable simultaneous high-fidelity visualization and reversible, quantitative control of these contacts in living cells remain limited. Here, we introduce a modular toolkit for inducible ER-PM contact-site reconstitution based on complementary chemical and optical dimerization strategies. We develop a nontoxic and reversible abscisic acid (ABA)-inducible system using the plant-derived ABIcs/PYLcs pair, and a rapidly reversible optogen

SUBMITTER: Zhang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12873835 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature