title: The ESCRT pathway.
abstract: Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) deliver cargo destined for degradation to the vacuole or lysosome. The ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) pathway is a key mediator of MVB biogenesis, but it also plays critical roles in retroviral budding and cytokinetic abscission. Despite these diverse roles, the ESCRT pathway can be simply seen as a cargo-recognition and membrane-sculpting machine viewable from three distinct perspectives: (1) the ESCRT proteins themselves, (2) the cargo they sort, and (3) the membrane they deform. Here, we review ESCRT function from these perspectives and discuss how ESCRTs may drive vesicle budding.
authors.affiliation: Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Weill Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Henne
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Buchkovich
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Emr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D056827:Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D057146:Multivesicular Bodies / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D056827:Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport