GRAMD1A - a tether, which transfers sterols.

de Vega et al showed that the most hypermethylated gene associated with quality of life in ME patients was GRAMD1A. A hypermethylated gene is often associated with supressed transcription (1).

GRAMD1A is a tether protein between the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (2).



Figure 8 from Marina Besprozvannaya, et al. eLife. 2018;7:e31019 (2)



GRAMD1A transfer sterols (3)

Is GRAMD1A involved in the dysregulated sterol and sphingolipid homeostasis in ME patients?

References:

1. Vega et al: Epigenetic modifications and glucocorticoid sensitivity in ME/CFS. BMC Medical Genomics, 2017, 10, 11
2. GRAM domain proteins specialize functionally distinct ER-PM contact sites in human cells.
   Besprozvannaya M, Dickson E, Li H, Ginburg KS, Bers DM, Auwerx J, Nunnari J.

   Elife. 2018 Feb 22;7. pii: e31019. doi: 10.7554/eLife.31019
3. Horenkamp et al: Molecular basis for sterol transport by START-like lipid transfer domains. EMBO  J. 2018 Feb 21