Synaptotagmin-mediated plasma membrane homeostasis is required to recruit the endocytic machinery during cold stress

Aznar-Moreno, J. A.; Del Espino, A.; Moya-Cuevas, J.; Perez-Sancho, J.; Wilbrink, G.; Neubergerova, M.; De Meyer, A.; Vanneste, S.; Grones, P.; Rubio, L.; Pleskot, R.; Van Damme, D.; Amorim-Silva, V.; Botella, M. A.

doi:10.64898/2026.10.17.759674

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.17.759674

Synaptotagmin-mediated plasma membrane homeostasis is required to recruit the endocytic machinery during cold stress

Aznar-Moreno, J. A.·Del Espino, A.·Moya-Cuevas, J.·Perez-Sancho, J.·Wilbrink, G.·Neubergerova, M.·De Meyer, A.·Vanneste, S.·Grones, P.·Rubio, L.·Pleskot, R.·Van Damme, D.·Amorim-Silva, V.·Botella, M. A.

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Abstract

Endocytosis depends on plasma membrane (PM) lipid composition, yet how plants sustain endocytic machinery recruitment during stress remains unclear. We investigated whether synaptotagmins SYT1 and SYT3 function in membrane homeostasis and endocytosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we revealed that cold stress reversibly blocked FM4-64 internalization in syt1syt3 double mutants by displacing peripheral and core TPC subunits from the PM. Loss of SYT1 reduced brassinosteroid receptor internalization during cold stress, while double mutants showed enhanced brassinosteroid signaling. SYTs and VAP27 genes showed a condition-dependent genetic interaction in endocytosis: the syt1/vap27-1/vap27-3 triple mutant resembles vap27-1/vap27-3 under control conditions and syt1 during cold stress, suggesting overlapping contributions to endocytic regulation. Using molecular dynamics simulations of protein-membrane interactions, phosphoinositide depletion combined with increased diacylglycerol weakened TPC core membrane association. Our findings identify SYT1 and SYT3 as essential components for sustaining endocytosis during abiotic stress and support a model in which lipid homeostasis at endoplasmic reticulum-PM contact sites preserves the membrane composition required for TPC-dependent endocytosis.

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Aznar-Moreno, J. A., Del Espino, A., Moya-Cuevas, J., Perez-Sancho, J., Wilbrink, G., Neubergerova, M., De Meyer, A., Vanneste, S., Grones, P., Rubio, L., Pleskot, R., Van Damme, D., Amorim-Silva, V., Botella, M. A.. 2026-10-20. Synaptotagmin-mediated plasma membrane homeostasis is required to recruit the endocytic machinery during cold stress. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.17.759674

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