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Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein forms the scaffold for PML nuclear bodies (PML NB) that reorganize into Lipid‐Associated PML Structures (LAPS) under fatty acid stress. We determined how the fatty acid oleate alters the interactome of PMLI or PMLII by expressing fusions with the ascorbate peroxidase APEX2 in U2OS cells. The resultant interactome included ESCRT and COPII transport protein nodes. Proximity ligation assay (PLA) revealed that COPII proteins SEC23B, SEC24A and USO1 preferentially associated with PML NBs. Nuclear localization of USO1, but not SEC23B and SEC24A, was reduced in PML knockout cells and restored by PMLII expression. Thus, proximity‐labelling methods identified COPII transport protein interactions with PML NBs that are disrupted by fatty acid stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R2137 --> 679.1 --> Lipid droplets (LD) are organelles composed of a phospholipid monolayer surrounding a core of and triacylglycerol and cholesterol ester. LD have a primary role in energy homeostasis and lipotoxic stress through the regulated storage and release of fatty acids. While LD are cytoplasmic, lipoprotein secreting cells harbor nuclear LD (nLD) that associate with PML, the structural protein of PML nuclear bodies (PML‐NB) that regulate DNA repair and stress responses. Knockout studies in U2OS cells indicated that the 50% of nLDs contain PML isoform II (PML‐II) and have a unique lipid and protein composition marked by the lack of canonical PML‐NB‐associated proteins, such as DAXX, SP100 and SUMO. Owing to their unique composition, we term these subnuclear lipid:protein domains, lipid‐associated PML structures (LAPS). To gain insight into LAPS function, we conducted proximity labeling and mass spectrometry (MS) studies using PML‐I and PML‐II modified by fusion to the ascorbate peroxidase APEX2 that uses biotin‐phenol to biotinylate proteins. U2OS and Huh7 cells expressing PML‐APEX2 fusion proteins were treated with and without oleate, and biotinylated proteins were isolated and analyzed by LC‐MS/MS. Using standard filtering techniques (CRAPome, SAINT, Bayesian false discovery rate) we identified several high confidence interacting proteins associated with the COPII coatomer complex, including Sec24A, Sec23IP, Sec24B, and Sec23B. These Sec23/24 proteins were associated with PML‐I and, to a lesser extent, PML‐II under oleate‐treated conditions. Sec23B was observed to associate with both PML‐NBs as well as LAPS by immunofluorescence microscopy in U2OS cells expressing PML‐II‐APEX2. The COPII pathway has previously been implicated in protein delivery to cytoplasmic LD setting a precedence for the interaction we observed with LAPS. Thus, given our preliminary data showing interaction between Sec 23/24 heterodimer, PML‐NBs and LAPS we are now pursuing the hypothesis that lipid membrane deformation and/or cargo transport activity in the nucleus by COPII proteins could play a role in lipid homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological membrane fusion is dependent on protein catalysts to mediate localized restructuring of lipid bilayers. A central theme in current models of protein-mediated membrane fusion involves the sequential refolding of complex homomeric or heteromeric protein fusion machines. The structural features of a new family of fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins appear incompatible with existing models of membrane fusion protein function. While the FAST proteins function to induce efficient cell–cell fusion when expressed in transfected cells, it was unclear whether they function on their own to mediate membrane fusion or are dependent on cellular protein cofactors. Using proteoliposomes containing the purified p14 FAST protein of reptilian reovirus, we now show via liposome–cell and liposome–liposome fusion assays that p14 is both necessary and sufficient for membrane fusion. Stoichiometric and kinetic analyses suggest that the relative efficiency of p14-mediated membrane fusion rivals that of the more complex cellular and viral fusion proteins, making the FAST proteins the simplest known membrane fusion machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]