Studying lipids involved in the endosomal pathway

Abstract

Endosomes along the degradation pathway exhibit a multivesicular appearance and differ in their lipid compositions. Association of proteins to specific membrane lipids and presumably also lipid-lipid interactions contribute to the formation of functional membrane platforms that regulate endosome biogenesis and function. This chapter provides a brief review of the functions of endosomal lipids in the degradation pathway, a discussion of techniques that allow studying lipid-based mechanisms and a selection of step-by-step protocols for in vivo and in vitro methods commonly used to study lipid roles in endocytosis. The techniques described here have been used to elucidate the function of the late endosomal lipid lysobisphosphatidic acid and allow the monitoring of lipid distribution, levels and dynamics, as well as the characterization of lipid-binding partners.