Bahmanyar lab published in The Journal of Cell Biology
“A membrane-sensing mechanism links lipid metabolism to protein degradation at the nuclear envelope”
Shoken Lee, Jake Carrasquillo Rodríguez, Holly Merta, and Shirin Bahmanyar
The nuclear envelope is a domain of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that contains a unique protein and lipid composition. Lee et al. show that local lipid metabolism is coupled to protein degradation mechanisms to define the nuclear envelope proteome. They identify a direct membrane sensing region in a resident nuclear envelope protein required for its retention and stability. They also design and validate a new tool that serves as a read-out for the unique nuclear envelope lipid environment. Their work has broad implications on mechanisms of diseases associated with the nuclear membrane (collectively called nuclear envelopathies).