A new organelle has been found in cells
Harvard University researchers have discovered a new organelle inside the gut cells of the fruit fly — a surprise discovery, staring us in the face, in one of the most well-studied animals in all of science.
The new organelle stockpiles phosphate, a metabolite essential to life. When faced with a shortage, it releases its reservoir in the form of phospholipids, which are a key component of the membrane structure of cells.
“This is one of the first studies to actually find phosphate storage in an animal cell,” Rebekka Wild told Nature’s Gemma Conroy. A structural biologist at French state research organization the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Wild was not involved with the study.
A new organelle: On closer inspection, the team found oval-shaped structures composed of multiple membrane layers, with the PXo protein shepherding phosphate across them. Fittingly named a PXo body, the organelle then changed the phosphate into phospholipids, which cells use in membrane construction.
The discovery may spark a search for phosphate-storing organelles in other animals — including humans. More research may also help us know how the organelle fits into the life of the cell, how it interacts with the others and how it changes over time.
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