SAC1 Degrades its Lipid Substrate PtdIns4Pin the Endoplasmic Reticulum to Maintain a Steep Chemical Gradient with Donor Membranes

Gradients of PtdIns4 P between organelle membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are thought to drive counter-transport of other lipids via non-vesicular traffic. This novel pathway requires the SAC1 phosphatase to degrade PtdIns4 P in a “cis” configuration at the ER to maintain the gradient. However, SAC1 has also been proposed to act in “trans” at membrane contact sites, which could oppose lipid traffic. It is therefore crucial to determine which mode SAC1 uses in living cells. We report that acute inhibition of SAC1 causes accumulation of PtdIns4 P in the ER, that SAC1 does not enrich at membrane contact sites, and that SAC1 has little activity in “trans”, unless a linker is added between its ER-anchored and catalytic domains. The data reveal an obligate “cis” activity of SAC1, supporting its role in non-vesicular lipid traffic and implicating lipid traffic more broadly in inositol lipid homeostasis and function.