Typical distance between the ER and mitochondria in contact sites

Range 15 - 30 nm
Organism Mammals
Reference Herrera-Cruz MS, Simmen T. Of yeast, mice and men: MAMs come in two flavors. Biol Direct. 2017 Jan 25 12(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s13062-017-0174-5. p.2 right column bottom paragraphPubMed ID28122638
Primary Source [7] Giacomello M, Pellegrini L. The coming of age of the mitochondria-ER contact: a matter of thickness. Cell Death Differ. 2016 23(9):1417–27. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2016.52.PubMed ID27341186
Comments P.2 right column bottom paragraph: "In liver and other mammalian cells and cell lines, the distance between the ER and mitochondria in contact sites typically measures 15–30 nm under resting conditions [primary source]. However, cell stress can transform ER-mitochondria contacts into a much tighter version of 10 nm via mechanisms that are currently not fully understood [primary source, ref 9]. While MAM [mitochondria-associated membrane] research progressed rapidly using mammalian model systems, MAMs could not be isolated in the yeast model system for a long time [ref 10], even though ER and mitochondria were seen apposed on early electron micrographs of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [ref 11]. Another reason for this delay was the limited apposition between the ER and mitochondria that yeast researchers detected in their model system, relative to the more frequent contacts they saw between the ER and lipid droplets [ref 12]."
Entered by Uri M
ID 113406