title: Rab27a and melanosomes: a model to investigate the membrane targeting of Rabs.
abstract: Rab proteins constitute the largest family within the Ras superfamily of small GTPases (>60 in mammals) and are essential regulators of transport between intracellular organelles. Key to this activity is their targeting to specific compartments within the cell. However, although great strides have been made over the last 25 years in assigning functions to individual Rabs and identifying their downstream effectors, the mechanism(s) regulating their targeting to specific subcellular membranes remains less well understood. In the present paper, we review the evidence supporting the proposed mechanisms of Rab targeting and highlight insights into this process provided by studies of Rab27a.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Antonia E G
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Miguel C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Seabra
authors.forename: Alistair N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Hume
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D020730:Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000201:enzymology; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D020460:Melanosomes / Q000201:enzymology*; D021381:Protein Transport; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D000075745:rab27 GTP-Binding Proteins
chemical_list: D020730:Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D000075745:rab27 GTP-Binding Proteins; C066694:RAB27A protein, human; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins