Pathway: Endosomal Sorting Complex Required For Transport (ESCRT)
Reactions in pathway: Endosomal Sorting Complex Required For Transport (ESCRT) :
Endosomal Sorting Complex Required For Transport (ESCRT)
Many plasma membrane proteins are in a constant flux throughout the internal trafficking pathways of the cell. Some receptors are continuously internalized into recycling endosomes and returned to the cell surface. Others are sorted into intralumenal vesicles of morphologically distinctive endosomes that are known as multivesicular bodies (MVBs). These MVBs fuse with lysosomes, resulting in degradation of their cargo by lysosomal acidic hydrolases.
Endosomes can be operationally defined as being either early or late, referring to the relative time it takes for endocytosed material to reach either stage. Ultrastructural studies indicate that early endosomes are predominantly tubulovesicular structures, which constitute a major sorting platform in the cell, whereas late endosomes show the characteristics of typical MVBs and are capable of fusing with lysosomes.
A well characterized signal for shunting membrane proteins into the degradative MVB pathway is the ubiquitylation of these cargoes. At the center of a vast protein:protein and protein:lipid interaction network that underpins ubiquitin mediated sorting to the lysosome are the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs), which are conserved throughout all major eukaryotic taxa.
Endosomes can be operationally defined as being either early or late, referring to the relative time it takes for endocytosed material to reach either stage. Ultrastructural studies indicate that early endosomes are predominantly tubulovesicular structures, which constitute a major sorting platform in the cell, whereas late endosomes show the characteristics of typical MVBs and are capable of fusing with lysosomes.
A well characterized signal for shunting membrane proteins into the degradative MVB pathway is the ubiquitylation of these cargoes. At the center of a vast protein:protein and protein:lipid interaction network that underpins ubiquitin mediated sorting to the lysosome are the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs), which are conserved throughout all major eukaryotic taxa.
The secretory membrane system allows a cell to regulate delivery of newly synthesized proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids to the cell surface, a necessity for growth and homeostasis. The system is made up of distinct organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi complex, plasma membrane, and tubulovesicular transport intermediates. These organelles mediate intracellular membrane transport between themselves and the cell surface. Membrane traffic within this system flows along highly organized directional routes. Secretory cargo is synthesized and assembled in the ER and then transported to the Golgi complex for further processing and maturation. Upon arrival at the trans Golgi network (TGN), the cargo is sorted and packaged into post-Golgi carriers that move through the cytoplasm to fuse with the cell surface. This directional membrane flow is balanced by retrieval pathways that bring membrane and selected proteins back to the compartment of origin.
The transit of proteins and other cargo through the cell requires a cellular transport process in which transported substances are moved in membrane-bounded vesicles. Transported substances are enclosed in the vesicle lumen or located in the vesicle membrane. The transport process begins with the formation of the vesicle itself, often triggered by the interaction of the cargo with the vesicle formation machinery. Vesicular transport pathways can include vesicle formation, coating, budding, uncoating and target membrane fusion depending upon the function of the pathway described. Vesicle-mediated transport occurs from within cell via ER and Golgi transport, as well as functioning in the endocytosis of material taken into the cell via scavenger receptors.