Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Homeostasis Regulated by Nir2 and Nir3 Proteins at Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Junctions.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) at the plasma membrane (PM) constitutively controls many cellular functions, and its hydrolysis via receptor stimulation governs cell signaling. The PI transfer protein Nir2 is essential for replenishing PM PIP2 following receptor-induced hydrolysis, but key mechanistic aspects of this process remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that PI at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is required for the rapid replenishment of PM PIP2 mediated by Nir2. Nir2 detects PIP2 hydrolysis and translocates to ER-PM junctions via binding to phosphatidic acid. With distinct phosphatidic acid binding abilities and PI transfer protein activities, Nir2 and its homolog Nir3 differentially regulate PIP2 homeostasis in cells during intense receptor stimulation and in the resting state, respectively. Our study reveals that Nir2 and Nir3 work in tandem to achieve different levels of feedback based on the consumption of PM PIP2 and function at ER-PM junctions to mediate nonvesicular lipid transport between the ER and the PM.

Chang CL ，Liou J 《-》

Neuronal ER-plasma membrane junctions organized by Kv2-VAP pairing recruit Nir proteins and affect phosphoinositide homeostasis.

The association of plasma membrane (PM)-localized voltage-gated potassium (Kv2) channels with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated proteins VAPA and VAPB defines ER-PM junctions in mammalian brain neurons. Here, we used proteomics to identify proteins associated with Kv2/VAP-containing ER-PM junctions. We found that the VAP-interacting membrane-associated phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) transfer proteins PYK2 N-terminal domain-interacting receptor 2 (Nir2) and Nir3 specifically associate with Kv2.1 complexes. When coexpressed with Kv2.1 and VAPA in HEK293T cells, Nir2 colocalized with cell-surface-conducting and -nonconducting Kv2.1 isoforms. This was enhanced by muscarinic-mediated PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis, leading to dynamic recruitment of Nir2 to Kv2.1 clusters. In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, exogenously expressed Nir2 did not strongly colocalize with Kv2.1, unless exogenous VAPA was also expressed, supporting the notion that VAPA mediates the spatial association of Kv2.1 and Nir2. Immunolabeling signals of endogenous Kv2.1, Nir2, and VAP puncta were spatially correlated in cultured neurons. Fluorescence-recovery-after-photobleaching experiments revealed that Kv2.1, VAPA, and Nir2 have comparable turnover rates at ER-PM junctions, suggesting that they form complexes at these sites. Exogenous Kv2.1 expression in HEK293T cells resulted in significant differences in the kinetics of PtdIns(4,5)P2 recovery following repetitive muscarinic stimulation, with no apparent impact on resting PtdIns(4,5)P2 or PtdIns(4)P levels. Finally, the brains of Kv2.1-knockout mice had altered composition of PtdIns lipids, suggesting a crucial role for native Kv2.1-containing ER-PM junctions in regulating PtdIns lipid metabolism in brain neurons. These results suggest that ER-PM junctions formed by Kv2 channel-VAP pairing regulate PtdIns lipid homeostasis via VAP-associated PtdIns transfer proteins.

Kirmiz M ，Gillies TE ，Dickson EJ ，Trimmer JS ... -  《-》

Nir1 constitutively localizes at ER-PM junctions and promotes Nir2 recruitment for PIP(2) homeostasis.

Quintanilla CG ，Lee WR ，Liou J 《-》

Feedback regulation of receptor-induced Ca2+ signaling mediated by E-Syt1 and Nir2 at endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) junctions are highly conserved subcellular structures. Despite their importance in Ca(2+) signaling and lipid trafficking, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation and functions of ER-PM junctions remain unclear. By developing a genetically encoded marker that selectively monitors ER-PM junctions, we found that the connection between ER and PM was dynamically regulated by Ca(2+) signaling. Elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) triggered translocation of E-Syt1 to ER-PM junctions to enhance ER-to-PM connection. This subsequently facilitated the recruitment of Nir2, a phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PITP), to ER-PM junctions following receptor stimulation. Nir2 promoted the replenishment of PM phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) after receptor-induced hydrolysis via its PITP activity. Disruption of the enhanced ER-to-PM connection resulted in reduced PM PIP2 replenishment and defective Ca(2+) signaling. Altogether, our results suggest a feedback mechanism that replenishes PM PIP2 during receptor-induced Ca(2+) signaling via the Ca(2+) effector E-Syt1 and the PITP Nir2 at ER-PM junctions.

Chang CL ，Hsieh TS ，Yang TT ，Rothberg KG ，Azizoglu DB ，Volk E ，Liao JC ，Liou J ... -  《Cell Reports》

Phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid transport between the ER and plasma membrane during PLC activation requires the Nir2 protein.

Phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated hydrolysis of the limited pool of plasma membrane (PM) phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] requires replenishment from a larger pool of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) via sequential phosphorylation by PtdIns 4-kinases and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) 5-kinases. Since PtdIns is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and PtdIns(4,5)P2 is generated in the PM, it has been postulated that PtdIns transfer proteins (PITPs) provide the means for this lipid transfer function. Recent studies identified the large PITP protein, Nir2 as important for PtdIns transfer from the ER to the PM. It was also found that Nir2 was required for the transfer of phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) from the PM to the ER. In Nir2-depleted cells, activation of PLC leads to PtdOH accumulation in the PM and PtdIns synthesis becomes severely impaired. In quiescent cells, Nir2 is localized to the ER via interaction of its FFAT domain with ER-bound VAMP-associated proteins VAP-A and-B. After PLC activation, Nir2 also binds to the PM via interaction of its C-terminal domains with diacylglycerol (DAG) and PtdOH. Through these interactions, Nir2 functions in ER-PM contact zones. Mutations in VAP-B that have been identified in familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou-Gehrig's disease) cause aggregation of the VAP-B protein, which then impairs its binding to several proteins, including Nir2. These findings have shed new lights on the importance of non-vesicular lipid transfer of PtdIns and PtdOH in ER-PM contact zones with a possible link to a devastating human disease.

Kim YJ ，Guzman-Hernandez ML ，Wisniewski E ，Echeverria N ，Balla T ... -  《-》