title: Revisiting the regulated secretory pathway: from frogs to human.
abstract: The regulated secretory pathway is a hallmark of endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. This process comprises different sequential steps, including ER-associated protein synthesis, ER-to-Golgi protein transport, Golgi-associated posttranslational modification, sorting and packing of secretory proteins into carrier granules, cytoskeleton-based granule transport towards the plasma membrane and tethering, docking and fusion of granules with specialized releasing zones in the plasma membrane. Each one of these steps is tightly regulated by a large number of factors that function in a spatially and temporarily coordinated fashion. During the past three decades, much effort has been devoted to characterize the precise role of the yet-known proteins participating in the different steps of this process and to identify new regulatory factors in order to obtain a unifying picture of the secretory pathway. In spite of this and given the enormous complexity of the process, certain steps are not fully understood yet and many players remain to be identified. In this review, we offer a summary of the current knowledge on the main molecular mechanisms that govern and ensure the correct release of secretory proteins. In addition, we have integrated the advance on the field made possible by studies carried out in non-mammalian vertebrates, which, although not very numerous, have substantially contributed to acquire a mechanistic understanding of the regulated secretory pathway.
authors: Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica, University of Córdoba, 14014-Córdoba, Spain. bc2vamar@uco.es
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Vázquez-Martínez
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Díaz-Ruiz
authors: Farid
authors: F
authors: Almabouada
authors: Yoana
authors: Y
authors: Rabanal-Ruiz
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Gracia-Navarro
authors: María M
authors: MM
authors: Malagón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000502:physiology*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D055099:Neuroendocrine Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D055571:Secretory Pathway / Q000502:physiology*; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000502:physiology