Polarized traffic towards the cell surface: how to find the route.
Polarity is the structural and functional hallmark of epithelia. The apical plasma membrane, facing the organism's exterior (the lumen of the gut, renal tubule and glandular duct), differs in many important respects from the basolateral plasma membrane that is apposed to the interior of the organism. The generation and maintenance of epithelial polarity require a highly specialized subcellular machinery to bring proteins to their appropriate sites of action. This is a dynamic process involving the interpretation of sorting signals, vectorial delivery mechanisms, membrane-specific fusion and retention processes. Here, we will provide a review of the field, highlighting recent advances within a historically relevant context.
Carmosino
Monica
M
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. monica.carmosino@yale.edu
Valenti
Giovanna
G
Caplan
Michael
M
Svelto
Maria
M
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D050600:SNARE Proteins