Organelle communication networks rewire to support lipid metabolism during neuronal differentiation
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Cell fate transitions require coordinated remodeling of intracellular organelles, but how organelle morphology and interactions rewire during neurogenesis remains unclear. Here we combine multispectral imaging with quantitative organelle signature analysis to simultaneously map eight organelles as human induced pluripotent stem cells differentiate into forebrain-like neurons. We find compartment and time-specific rescaling of organelles and a progressive increase in higher-order membrane contacts, with mitochondria emerging as an early interaction hub. Later, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-organelle contacts dominate with ER-peroxisome contacts promoting ether lipid biosynthesis, membrane homeostasis and synapse formation. Disrupting this contact impairs plasmalogen production, synaptic organization, and neuronal activity, identifying the ER-peroxisome axis as a key regulator of neuronal maturation.
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Award: G2087096064
OpenAlex ID: W7128730709