Characterizing the Interactions Between Stress Granules and the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/5t34sk77s

Abstract

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a universally conserved eukaryotic organelle and is the site of translation, translocation, and folding of membrane and secreted proteins. Previous studies have demonstrated that the ER membrane contacts and regulates the dynamics of both membrane-bound organelles and membraneless RNA granules. However, the mechanisms that might coordinate membrane-bound and membraneless organelles are unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize Lyric, an integral ER membrane protein that also binds mRNAs. We found many stress granule (SG) components among Lyric interactors identified via mass spectrometry. By live cell imaging, we observed that Lyric-labeled ER wraps SGs. This wrapping phenotype depended on Lyric’s RNA-binding ability, and this behavior was inhibited when cells were treated with NaAsO2. These findings provide opportunities for future research into the dynamics of RNA granules, their relation to other organelles, and the mechanistic pathways which could be targeted for treatments of SG-related diseases.

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