Motion of VAPB molecules reveals ER–mitochondria contact site subdomains

Abstract To coordinate cellular physiology, eukaryotic cells rely on the rapid exchange of molecules at specialized organelle–organelle contact sites 1,2 . Endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondrial contact sites (ERMCSs) are particularly vital communication hubs, playing key roles in the exchange of signalling molecules, lipids and metabolites 3,4 . ERMCSs are maintained by interactions between complementary tethering molecules on the surface of each organelle 5,6 . However, due to the extreme sensitivity of these membrane interfaces to experimental perturbation 7,8 , a clear understanding of their nanoscale organization and regulation is still lacking. Here we combine three-dimensional electron microscopy with…