부산대학교 도서관

Besides conventional secretion, in which proteins are transported through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi complex, unconventional secretion routes bypassing the Golgi complex have been described for different proteins in several organisms. How-ever, the mechanisms of their release remain poorly understood. It was reported that the unconventional secretion of the acyl-CoA binding protein Acb1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires a diverse group of proteins including the GRASP ortholog Grh1, autophagy-related proteins, proteins involved in fusion of membranes with endosomes, members of the ESCRT-machinery, and the plasma membrane t-SNARE Sso1. How these proteins work together for Acb1 secretion remains elusive. Our findings indicate that upon nutrient starvation, the condition known to induce unconventional secretion of Acb1, Grh1 is concentrated in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent manner to unique membrane structures near the ER exit sites. These membranes –shaped like cups– are enriched in PI(3)P and contain the ESCRT-I protein Vps23 as well as the autophagy-related proteins Atg8 and Atg9 thereby bringing together different proteins required for Acb1 secretion. We have named these structures CUPS (Compartment for Unconventional Protein Secretion), based on their shape and content. CUPS, we propose, are the starting point for the formation of Acb1-containing vesicular intermediates dedicated for unconventional secretion.
Programa de doctorat en Biomedicina