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The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The endoplasmic reticulum is found in most eukaryotic cells and forms an interconnected network of flattened, membrane-enclosed sacs known as cisternae, and tubular structures in the SER. The membranes of the ER are continuous with the outer nuclear membrane. The endoplasmic reticulum is not found in red blood cells, or spermatozoa.
The endomembrane system is composed of the different membranes that are suspended in the cytoplasm within a eukaryotic cell. These membranes divide the cell into functional and structural compartments, or organelles. In eukaryotes the organelles of the endomembrane system include: the nuclear membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vesicles, endosomes, and plasma (cell) membrane among others. The system is defined more accurately as the set of membranes that form a single functional and developmental unit, either being connected directly, or exchanging material through vesicle transport. Importantly, the endomembrane system does not include the membranes of chloroplasts or mitochondria, but might have evolved from the latter.
The Golgi apparatus, also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles inside the cell before the vesicles are sent to their destination. It resides at the intersection of the secretory, lysosomal, and endocytic pathways. It is of particular importance in processing proteins for secretion, containing a set of glycosylation enzymes that attach various sugar monomers to proteins as the proteins move through the apparatus.
Protein targeting or protein sorting is the biological mechanism by which proteins are transported to their appropriate destinations in the cell or outside it. Proteins can be targeted to the inner space of an organelle, different intracellular membranes, plasma membrane, or to exterior of the cell via secretion. This delivery process is carried out based on information contained in the protein itself. Correct sorting is crucial for the cell; errors can lead to diseases.
A signal peptide is a short peptide present at the N-terminus of the majority of newly synthesized proteins that are destined towards the secretory pathway. These proteins include those that reside either inside certain organelles, secreted from the cell, or inserted into most cellular membranes. Although most type I membrane-bound proteins have signal peptides, the majority of type II and multi-spanning membrane-bound proteins are targeted to the secretory pathway by their first transmembrane domain, which biochemically resembles a signal sequence except that it is not cleaved. They are a kind of target peptide.
The translocon is a complex of proteins associated with the translocation of polypeptides across membranes. In eukaryotes the term translocon most commonly refers to the complex that transports nascent polypeptides with a targeting signal sequence into the interior space of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) from the cytosol. This translocation process requires the protein to cross a hydrophobic lipid bilayer. The same complex is also used to integrate nascent proteins into the membrane itself. In prokaryotes, a similar protein complex transports polypeptides across the (inner) plasma membrane or integrates membrane proteins. Bacterial pathogens can also assemble other translocons in their host membranes, allowing them to export virulence factors into their target cells.
COPII is a coatomer, a type of vesicle coat protein that transports proteins from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus. This process is termed anterograde transport, in contrast to the retrograde transport associated with the COPI protein. The name "COPII" refers to the specific coat protein complex that initiates the budding process. The coat consists of large protein subcomplexes that are made of four different protein subunits.
COPI is a coatomer, a protein complex that coats vesicles transporting proteins from the cis end of the Golgi complex back to the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they were originally synthesized, and between Golgi compartments. This type of transport is termed as retrograde transport, in contrast to the anterograde transport associated with the COPII protein. The name "COPI" refers to the specific coat protein complex that initiates the budding process on the cis-Golgi membrane. The coat consists of large protein subcomplexes that are made of seven different protein subunits, namely α, β, β', γ, δ, ε and ζ.
The C-terminus is the end of an amino acid chain, terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is translated from messenger RNA, it is created from N-terminus to C-terminus. The convention for writing peptide sequences is to put the C-terminal end on the right and write the sequence from N- to C-terminus.
In cell biology, bulk flow is the process by which proteins with a sorting signal travel to and from different cellular compartments. Proteins often have sorting signals, either transport signals, specifying if a protein will translocate to another compartment within the cell, or retention signals, specifying if it will be retained in the current, membrane-bound, compartment in which it is already located. For instance, proteins with the KDEL sorting signal are specified to return to the endoplasmic reticulum from the Golgi. However, proteins lacking a sorting signal will increase in concentration in a specific compartment until it reaches bulk concentration in the donor compartment. At this point, proteins enter budding vesicles and are transported to an acceptor compartment. This process is called bulk flow.
ER retention refers to proteins that are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, or ER, after folding; these are known as ER resident proteins.
Calnexin (CNX) is a 67kDa integral protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It consists of a large N-terminal calcium-binding lumenal domain, a single transmembrane helix and a short, acidic cytoplasmic tail.
A secretory protein is any protein, whether it be endocrine or exocrine, which is secreted by a cell. Secretory proteins include many hormones, enzymes, toxins, and antimicrobial peptides. Secretory proteins are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Ribophorins are dome shaped transmembrane glycoproteins which are located in the membrane of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, but are absent in the membrane of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. There are two types of ribophorines: ribophorin I and II. These act in the proteic complex oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) as two different subunits of the named complex. Ribophorin I and II are only present in eukaryote cells.
KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) endoplasmic reticulum protein retention receptor 1, also known as KDELR1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the KDELR1 gene.
Transmembrane emp24 domain-containing protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TMED2 gene.
KDEL is a target peptide sequence in mammals and plants located on the C-terminal end of the amino acid structure of a protein. The KDEL sequence prevents a protein from being secreted from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and facilitates its return if it is accidentally exported.
A target peptide is a short peptide chain that directs the transport of a protein to a specific region in the cell, including the nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), chloroplast, apoplast, peroxisome and plasma membrane. Some target peptides are cleaved from the protein by signal peptidases after the proteins are transported.
A FFAT motif is a protein sequence motif of six defined amino acids plus neighbouring residues that binds to proteins in the VAP protein family.
HDEL is a target peptide sequence in plants and yeasts located on the C-terminal end of the amino acid structure of a protein. The HDEL sequence prevents a protein from being secreted from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and facilitates its return if it is accidentally exported.
References
- ↑ Martin J. Vincent; Annelet S. Martin; Richard W. Compans (January 9, 1998). "Function of the KKXX Motif in Endoplasmic Reticulum Retrieval of a Transmembrane Protein Depends on the Length and Structure of the Cytoplasmic Domain". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 273 (2): 950–956. doi: 10.1074/jbc.273.2.950 . PMID 9422755.
- ↑ Erin C. Gaynor; Stephan te Heesen; Todd R. Graham; Markus Aebi; Scott D. Emr (November 1, 1994). "Signal-mediated Retrieval of a Membrane Protein from the Golgi to the ER in Yeast". The Journal of Cell Biology. 127 (3): 653–665. doi:10.1083/jcb.127.3.653. PMC 2120234 . PMID 7962050.
- ↑ Mariano Stornaiuolo; Lavinia V. Lotti; Nica Borgese; Maria-Rosaria Torrisi; Giovanna Mottola; Gianluca Martire; Stefano Bonatti (March 2003). "KDEL and KKXX Retrieval Signals Appended to the Same Reporter Protein Determine Different Trafficking between Endoplasmic Reticulum, Intermediate Compartment, and Golgi Complex". Molecular Biology of the Cell. 14 (3): 889–902. doi:10.1091/mbc.E02-08-0468. PMC 151567 . PMID 12631711.
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