Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contacts Regulate Cellular Excitability

Abstract

Cells that have intrinsic electrical excitability utilize changes in membrane potential to communicate with neighboring cells and initiate cellular cascades. Excitable cells like neurons and myocytes have evolved highly specialized subcellular architectures to translate these electrical signals into cellular events. One such structural specialization is sarco-/endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contact sites. These membrane contact sites are positioned by specific membrane-membrane tethering proteins and contain an ever-expanding list of additional proteins that organize information transfer across the junctional space (~ 15-25 nm distance) to shape membrane identity and control cellular excitability. In this chapter we discuss how contacts between the sarco-/endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane are essential for regulated excitation-contraction coupling in striated muscle and control of lipid-dependent ion channels.

Keywords: ER-PM contact sites; Endoplasmic reticulum; Excitation-contraction coupling; Ion channels; Membrane-membrane contact sites; PI(4,5)P2; Phosphoinositides; Tethering proteins.