[Yuki Nakamura] Maintenance of choline homeostasis by CEK1 is crucial for ER stress tolerance
POST: Ying-Chen Lin
In animal cells, homeostasis of ER phospholipid phosphatidylcholine is crucial in circumventing ER stress, an organelle stress that leads to serious diseases. A research team led by Dr. Nakamura demonstrated that plant ER stress tolerance requires balanced choline/phosphocholine ratio rather than phosphatidylcholine, which is maintained by a newly characterized choline kinase CEK1. The work highlights phosphocholine metabolism as a key metabolite in plant ER stress, which is caused by agriculturally important environmental stresses such as heat and salinity.