This article supplements a recent Perspective by Scorrano et al. in Nature Communications [10 [ (1)]:1287] in which the properties and functions of inter-organelle membrane contact sites were summarized. It is now clear that inter-organelle membrane contact sites are widespread in eukaryotic cells and that diverse pairs of organelles can be linked via unique protein tethers. An appropriate definition of what constitutes an inter-organelle membrane contact site was proposed in the Perspective. In addition, the various experimental approaches that are frequently used to study these organelle associations, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, were considered. The nature of the tethers that link the pairs of organelles at the contact sites was discussed in detail and some biological functions that have been ascribed to specific membrane contact sites were highlighted. Nevertheless, the functions of most types of organelle contact sites remain unclear. In the current article I have considered some of the points raised in the Perspective but have omitted detailed information on the roles of membrane contact sites in biological functions such as apoptosis, autophagy, calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial fusion. Instead, I have provided some background on the initial discovery of mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum membrane contact sites, and have focussed on the known roles of membrane contact sites in inter-organelle lipid transport. In addition, potential roles for membrane contact sites in human diseases are briefly discussed.

中文翻译：

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细胞间膜接触部位：对脂质代谢的影响

本文是Scorrano等人最近发表的《 Perspective》的补充。在Nature Communications [10 [（1）]：1287]中，总结了细胞间膜接触部位的特性和功能。现在很清楚，细胞器间膜接触位点在真核细胞中很普遍，并且不同的细胞器对可以通过独特的蛋白质束缚连接在一起。在Perspective中提出了对构成细胞间膜接触部位的适当定义。此外，还考虑了经常用于研究这些细胞器关联的各种实验方法，以及每种方法的优缺点。详细讨论了在接触部位连接成对的细胞器的系链的性质，并着重指出了归因于特定膜接触部位的一些生物学功能。然而，大多数类型的细胞器接触部位的功能仍不清楚。在当前的文章中，我考虑了“观点”中提出的一些观点，但省略了有关膜接触位点在诸如凋亡，自噬，钙稳态和线粒体融合等生物学功能中的作用的详细信息。相反，我提供了有关线粒体-内质网膜接触部位的最初发现的一些背景，并集中于膜接触部位在细胞间脂质运输中的已知作用。此外，