The Highly Conserved COPII Coat Complex Sorts Cargo from the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Targets It to the Golgi

2013/02/01 by Christopher L. Lord, Susan Ferro‐Novick, Elizabeth A. Miller · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Cellular transport and secretion #Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease #Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior

paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a013367

openalex publication_date 2013/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Protein egress from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is driven by a conserved cytoplasmic coat complex called the COPII coat. The COPII coat complex contains an inner shell (Sec23/Sec24) that sorts cargo into ER-derived vesicles and an outer cage (Sec13/Sec31) that leads to coat polymerization. Once released from the ER, vesicles must tether to and fuse with the target membrane to deliver their protein and lipid contents. This delivery step also depends on the COPII coat, with coat proteins binding directly to tethering and regulatory factors. Recent findings have yielded new insight into how COPII-mediated vesicle traffic is regulated. Here we discuss the molecular basis of COPII-mediated ER-Golgi traffic, focusing on the surprising complexity of how ER-derived vesicles form, package diverse cargoes, and correctly target these cargoes to their destination.

Citations

• Dynamics of the COPII coat with GTP and stable analogues
• The Architecture of the Multisubunit TRAPP I Complex Suggests a Model for Vesicle Tethering
• ARF proteins: roles in membrane traffic and beyond
• Regulation of Sar1 NH2 terminus by GTP binding and hydrolysis promotes membrane deformation to control COPII vesicle fission
• Structure of the Sec13/31 COPII coat cage
• Multiple Cargo Binding Sites on the COPII Subunit Sec24p Ensure Capture of Diverse Membrane Proteins into Transport Vesicles
• A C-terminal signal prevents secretion of luminal ER proteins

Cited by

• A three-stage model of Golgi structure and function
• Halperin–Birk syndrome [wikipedia]

Related

• COPII-mediated vesicle formation at a glance
• In situ cryo-ET defines the ultrastructure of ER exit sites in human cells
• The mechanistic basis of cargo selection during Golgi maturation
• COPI selectively drives maturation of the early Golgi
• Selective cargo recognition by vesicle tethering factors