PMP2/FABP8 induces PI (4, 5) P2-dependent transbilayer reorganization of sphingomyelin in the plasma membrane
Abe, M., Makino, A., Murate, M., Hullin-Matsuda, F., Yanagawa, M., Sako, Y. and Kobayashi, T., 2021. PMP2/FABP8 induces PI(4,5)P2-dependent transbilayer reorganization of sphingomyelin in the plasma membrane. Cell Reports, 37(6), p.109935.
Sphingomyelin (SM) is a mammalian lipid mainly distributed in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane (PM). We show that peripheral myelin protein 2 (PMP2), a member of the fatty-acid-binding protein (FABP) family, can localize at the PM and controls the transbilayer distribution of SM. Genetic screening with genome-wide small hairpin RNA libraries identifies PMP2 as a protein involved in the transbilayer movement of SM. A biochemical assay demonstrates that PMP2 is a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-binding protein. PMP2 induces the tubulation of model membranes in a PI(4,5)P2-dependent manner, accompanied by the modification of the transbilayer membrane distribution of lipids. In the PM of PMP2-overexpressing cells, inner-leaflet SM is increased whereas outer-leaflet SM is reduced. PMP2 is a causative protein of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). A mutation in PMP2 associated with CMT increases its affinity for PI(4,5)P2, inducing membrane tubulation and the subsequent transbilayer movement of lipids.