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Cytoophidia in the Molecular Sciences: Structure, Function, and Regulation

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2025) | Viewed by 2866

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
2. Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
Interests: metabolic cell biology; cytoophidium
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The subcellular sequestration of proteins within membrane-bound compartments is widely acknowledged to be an important mode of enzymatic regulation. In 2010, the essential de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis enzyme CTP synthase (CTPS) was found to assemble to form a filamentous structure termed “the cytoophidium”.Cytoophidia can be formed by metabolic enzymes in all the three domains of life. Many more enzymes have been identified as cytoophidium-assembling proteins. Recent studies have pushed the resolution to near-atomic levels to analyze the filamentation of CTP synthase with all its substrates. In addition, a positive-feedback signaling loop containing both cytoophidia and an integrin adhesion complex couples tissue architecture and metabolism. Therefore, multidisciplinary approaches provide invaluable insights into the structure, function, and regulation of cytoophidia in the molecular sciences.

Prof. Dr. Ji-Long Liu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cytoophidium
  • filament
  • CTP synthase
  • IMPDH
  • intracellular compartment
  • metabolic cell biology
  • metabolic filamentation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 8328 KiB  
Article
Differential Cytoophidium Assembly between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe
by Ruolan Deng, Yi-Lan Li and Ji-Long Liu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(18), 10092; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251810092 - 19 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1143
Abstract
The de novo synthesis of cytidine 5′-triphosphate (CTP) is catalyzed by the enzyme CTP synthase (CTPS), which is known to form cytoophidia across all three domains of life. In this study, we use the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces [...] Read more.
The de novo synthesis of cytidine 5′-triphosphate (CTP) is catalyzed by the enzyme CTP synthase (CTPS), which is known to form cytoophidia across all three domains of life. In this study, we use the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as model organisms to compare cytoophidium assembly under external environmental and intracellular CTPS alterations. We observe that under low and high temperature conditions, cytoophidia in fission yeast gradually disassemble, while cytoophidia in budding yeast remain unaffected. The effect of pH changes on cytoophidia maintenance in the two yeast species is different. When cultured in the yeast-saturated cultured medium, cytoophidia in fission yeast disassemble, while cytoophidia in budding yeast gradually form. Overexpression of CTPS results in the presence and maintenance of cytoophidia in both yeast species from the log phase to the stationary phase. In summary, our results demonstrate differential cytoophidium assembly between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the two most studied yeast species. Full article
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Review

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13 pages, 1570 KiB  
Review
The Impact of Developmental and Metabolic Cues on Cytoophidium Formation
by Yuanbing Zhang and Ji-Long Liu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(18), 10058; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251810058 - 19 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1259
Abstract
The cytoophidium, composed mainly of CTP synthase (CTPS), is a newly discovered dynamic filamentous structure in various organisms such as archaea, bacteria, and humans. These filamentous structures represent a fascinating example of intracellular compartmentation and dynamic regulation of metabolic enzymes. Currently, cytoophidia have [...] Read more.
The cytoophidium, composed mainly of CTP synthase (CTPS), is a newly discovered dynamic filamentous structure in various organisms such as archaea, bacteria, and humans. These filamentous structures represent a fascinating example of intracellular compartmentation and dynamic regulation of metabolic enzymes. Currently, cytoophidia have been proven to be tightly regulated and highly dynamic, responding rapidly to developmental and metabolic cues and playing a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In this review, we would like to discuss in detail the characteristics, mechanisms, functions, and potential applications of this conservative but promising organelle. Full article
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