Inter-Organelle Membrane Contacts in Health and Disease of the Nervous System

Membrane contact sites (MCSs) are specialized regions where the membranes of different organelles come into close proximity, but without actual contacts, and facilitate direct communication between organelles. These contact sites play crucial roles in various cellular processes, including calcium signaling, lipid transfer, and the regulation of metabolic pathways. For example, the ER and mitochondria contact sites play essential roles for calcium homeostasis and energy metabolism, and the contacts between ER and Golgi apparatus are involved in protein and lipid synthesis and trafficking. Cumulative evidence suggests that these contact sites are not merely passive connections but are dynamic structures, regulating cellular responses to stress and changes in metabolic demands. The study of inter-organelle contacts is increasingly recognized as vital for understanding not only normal cellular function but also the pathogenesis of various diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases.

Despite their importance, it is still not well understood how the dysfunction of membrane contact sites lead to diseases. The challenges we face in the field include the complexity of structures, the dynamic nature of membrane contacts, and their diversity across cell types which complicates imaging and characterization, making it difficult to study them uniformly. Another issue is technical limitations as available techniques often suffer from poor temporal and spatial resolution, making it hard to capture transient interactions between organelles with high enough resolution. Thus, more research is needed to improve the methodology and to understand how the dysfunction of membrane contact sites is connected to specific diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

In this Research Topic, we would like to welcome authors to submit manuscripts in the form of Original Research, Methods, Brief Research Communication, Review, and Opinion regarding the following research aspects (but not limited to):

- Methodology to study organelle membrane contact sites (MCSs) structurally or functionally
- Drug screen or Assay development for screen to identify regulators of MCSs
- Molecular and cellular mechanism of MCS formation and regulation
- Roles of MCSs in cellular homeostasis via lipid, ion, and peptide transport across the membranes
- Identification of molecular components of MCSs
- Pathogenic mechanism of dysfunction of MCSs in various diseases
- Characterization of MCSs in various disease models (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases)

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: membrane contact sites, membrane tethering, inter-organelle communication, neurodegenerative diseases, neurological disorders.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.