title: Large ARF guanine nucleotide exchange factors in membrane trafficking.
abstract: In eukaryotic cells membrane compartments are connected through cargo-selective vesicle trafficking mediating the exchange of components between different organelles. This exchange is essential to maintain their structural integrity and specific composition. A fundamental regulatory step in vesicle formation is the activation of small ARF GTPases by exchanging their bound GDP for GTP, which is a prerequisite for ARF-mediated effector recruitment. Activation of ARFs is catalyzed by the characteristic SEC7 domain of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (ARF-GEFs), which are classified according to their additional protein domains.The only group of ARF-GEFs conserved in mammals, yeast and plants are the large ARF-GEFs. This review summarizes recent findings on the function of large ARF-GEFs, and the use of the inhibitor Brefeldin A as a potent tool in understanding membrane trafficking. Furthermore we highlight common themes and apparent differences in large ARF-GEF function between eukaryotic kingdoms.
authors.affiliation: Center of Molecular Biology of Plants, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anders
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jürgens
mesh_terms: D020727:ADP-Ribosylation Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020126:Brefeldin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D002451:Cell Compartmentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000502:physiology; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D022161:Transport Vesicles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; D020126:Brefeldin A; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D020727:ADP-Ribosylation Factors