Coming together to define membrane contact sites.
expert_opinion · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30894536.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-09253-3 and PMC identifier 6427007.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Close proximities between organelles have been described for decades. However, only recently a specific field dealing with organelle communication at membrane contact sites has gained wide acceptance, attracting scientists from multiple areas of cell biology. The diversity of approaches warrants a unified vocabulary for the field. Such definitions would facilitate laying the foundations of this field, streamlining communication and resolving semantic controversies. This opinion, written by a panel of experts in the field, aims to provide this burgeoning area with guidelines for the experimental definition and analysis of contact sites. It also includes suggestions on how to operationally and tractably measure and analyze them with the hope of ultimately facilitating knowledge production and dissemination within and outside the field of contact-site research.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Membrane
- Eukaryotic Cells
- Intracellular Membranes
- Organelles
- Terminology as Topic