Research the Literature on your Own

How are ER proteins that escape to the Golgi recognized by COPI for retrieval?

What allows cells to differentiate secretory proteins from cytosolic proteins, and how do secretory proteins first enter the ER? How are transmembrane proteins embedded in the ER membrane as they are synthesized?

COPI- and COPII-coated vesicles are just two examples of vesicles that form with the aid of a protein coat complex. Explore the function and characteristics of clathrin-coated vesicles. How are these different from and similar to the coated vesicles described in the lecture?

What are the different stations of the Golgi and what does it mean to say that proteins move through the Golgi via a “process of maturation?”

In the lecture it is mentioned that SNARE proteins are important for vesicle docking and fusion to the target membrane. How do these SNAREs work? Think about how a vesicle is able to recognize the correct target membrane. What is special about SNAREs that prevents vesicle-vesicle and membrane-membrane fusion?

Why is GTP hydrolysis required for COPII coat disassembly? What kinds of protein conformational changes may be governed by GTP binding and GTP hydrolysis?

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