The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exhibits a characteristic tubular structure that is dynamically rearranged in response to specific physiological demands. However, the mechanisms by which the ER maintains its characteristic structure are largely unknown. Here we show that the integral ER-membrane protein VAP-B causes a striking rearrangement of the ER through interaction with the Nir2 and Nir3 proteins. We provide evidence that Nir (Nir1, Nir2, and Nir3)-VAP-B interactions are mediated through the conserved FFAT (two phenylalanines (FF) in acidic tract) motif present in Nir proteins. However, each interaction affects the structural integrity of the ER differently. Whereas the Nir2-VAP-B interaction induces the formation of stacked ER membrane arrays, the Nir3-VAP-B interaction leads to a gross remodeling of the ER and the bundling of thick microtubules along the altered ER membranes. In contrast, the Nir1-VAP-B interaction has no apparent effect on ER structure. We also show that the Nir2-VAP-B interaction attenuates protein export from the ER. These results demonstrate new mechanisms for the regulation of ER structure, all of which are mediated through interaction with an identical integral ER-membrane protein.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)1 is an extensive network of membranes comprised of an array of interconnecting tubules and cisternae that emerges from the nuclear envelope (NE) and extends peripherally throughout the cell cytoplasm (1). It contains several structurally distinct domains, including the NE, the rough and smooth ER (rER and sER), and the regions that contact other organelles, such as the Golgi apparatus, the late endosomes, the lysosomes, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the plasma membrane (2). The ER functions in diverse metabolic processes including lipid synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and the detoxification of drugs. It is responsible for the synthesis, translocation, glycosylation, folding, assembly, and processing of secretory and membrane proteins, and it functions in intracellular calcium storage and sequestering (3, 4).While the function of the ER in membrane trafficking, lipid biosynthesis, and calcium signaling have been extensively studied, the mechanism by which the ER maintains its characteristic structure in vivo remains largely unknown. Studies from yeast and mammalian cells have shown that the size and/or structure of the ER is extremely sensitive to certain cellular stress conditions, such as the unfolded protein response (UPR) or to the overexpression of a subset of ERresident membrane proteins (5, 6). Overexpression of 3-hydroxymethyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, microsomal aldehyde dehydrogenase (msALDH), cytochrome P-450, and malfolded cytochrome P-450, causes the proliferation of ER membranes and stacking of the ER cisternae into organized structures known as crystalloid ER, sinusoidal ER, or karmellae (7-12). The formation of these structures is easily visible and can be used as a quantitative method for studying ER membrane biogenesis (5). Neverth...