About this Research Topic
With the rapid development and breakthrough of biological tools and technologies in light microscopy and protein chemistry, researchers have been able to observe the dynamics of intracellular organelles and their interactions with significant detail, even at the nano level.
As a matter of fact, organellar dynamics, and the interactions between them, are more complicated than previously thought and the rate of flux and exchange of intracellular content (such as metals, lipids and proteins) is extremely high. Through these various interactions, organelle dynamics and contacts have proven to be essential for cell survival, growth and death and, upon dysregulation, have been implicated in a variety of diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Thus, enhanced understanding and further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying organelle dynamics and contacts in both normal and pathophysiological conditions is crucial for the discovery of novel therapeutic compounds able to modulate these processes, and, ultimately, to ameliorate or prevent the associated diseases.
This Research Topic aims to highlight recent advances in the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiology and pathophysiology of membrane contacts between different organelles. The content will include molecular mechanisms of organelle dynamics and the contacts between them, with particular emphasis on the contacts between the ER and mitochondria, the ER and plasma membrane, the ER and Golgi, and the ER and endo-lysosome system.
The subtopics to be covered in the Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
- Molecular mechanisms regulating organelle dynamics and the formation of membrane contact sites
- Cellular functions of organelle dynamics and membrane contact sites
- The role of organelle dynamics and membrane contacts in disease
- Germline mutations in hereditary diseases and somatic mutations in cancers that affect organelle dynamics and contacts
- New therapeutic strategies focused on molecular pathways underlying organelle dynamics and contacts
As a matter of fact, organellar dynamics, and the interactions between them, are more complicated than previously thought and the rate of flux and exchange of intracellular content (such as metals, lipids and proteins) is extremely high. Through these various interactions, organelle dynamics and contacts have proven to be essential for cell survival, growth and death and, upon dysregulation, have been implicated in a variety of diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Thus, enhanced understanding and further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying organelle dynamics and contacts in both normal and pathophysiological conditions is crucial for the discovery of novel therapeutic compounds able to modulate these processes, and, ultimately, to ameliorate or prevent the associated diseases.
This Research Topic aims to highlight recent advances in the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiology and pathophysiology of membrane contacts between different organelles. The content will include molecular mechanisms of organelle dynamics and the contacts between them, with particular emphasis on the contacts between the ER and mitochondria, the ER and plasma membrane, the ER and Golgi, and the ER and endo-lysosome system.
The subtopics to be covered in the Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
- Molecular mechanisms regulating organelle dynamics and the formation of membrane contact sites
- Cellular functions of organelle dynamics and membrane contact sites
- The role of organelle dynamics and membrane contacts in disease
- Germline mutations in hereditary diseases and somatic mutations in cancers that affect organelle dynamics and contacts
- New therapeutic strategies focused on molecular pathways underlying organelle dynamics and contacts
Keywords: Organelle Dynamics, Organelle Contacts, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Membrane Contacts, Intracellular Exchange
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