A collaborative paper in Developmental Cell for Chris Stefan

Phosphoinositides belong to a unique class of membrane signaling lipids that control cell growth and signalling. In a collaborative research paper published in Developmental Cell, Chris Stefan and colleagues demonstrate that binding of effector proteins to the phosphoinositide species PI4P at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) is dependent on intracellular pH, indicating PI4P is a pH biosensor. pH biosensing by TGN PI4P in response to nutrient availability governs protein sorting at the TGN. Thus, pH biosensing by TGN PI4P allows for direct metabolic regulation of protein trafficking and cell growth.