Cell Biology - Lecture 21: Sorting and Vesicular Transport - Part 2

This set of flashcards covers significant vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on sorting and vesicular transport in cell biology.

Processed mRNA

Eukaryotic RNAs that exit the nucleus only when they have a 5' cap, a poly A tail, and no introns.

mRNPs

Specific proteins that associate with processed mRNA molecules and facilitate their transport through nuclear pore complexes.

Nuclear pore complexes

Structures that allow the transport of molecules, such as processed mRNA, between the nucleus and cytoplasm.

COPII

Coat protein involved in transporting proteins from the ER to the cis-Golgi in anterograde transport.

COPI

Coat protein involved in transporting proteins from the cis-Golgi to the ER in retrograde transport.

Clathrin

A coat protein that mediates vesicular transport from the plasma membrane to lysosomes and from the Golgi to lysosomes.

Rab GTPases

Proteins that ensure specificity between transport vesicles and their target membranes.

SNAREs

Proteins that facilitate the fusion of vesicles with target membranes by forming a trans-SNARE complex.

Endosomes

Vesicles formed from early endocytic pathways that mature into lysosomes.

Glycosylation

Chemical modification that attaches carbohydrate monomers to certain amino acids in proteins, important for targeting.

Vesicle budding

The process by which a vesicle forms from a membrane, driven by the assembly of a protein coat.

Exocytosis

The process of vesicles fusing with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell.

Endocytosis

The process of taking up molecules from the extracellular environment into the cell.

Lysosomes

Organelles that contain enzymes to digest macromolecules, functioning effectively in an acidic environment.

Constitutive secretion

A type of secretion in which vesicles are constantly released from the cell.

Regulated secretion

A type of secretion where vesicles are stored and released in response to signals, such as an increase in calcium.

Tethering proteins

Proteins that recognize and bind Rab GTPases on vesicles to help dock them to target membranes.

Fusion

The process by which vesicles merge with target membranes to deliver their cargo.

ARF1

A GTP-binding protein involved in the transport of proteins within COPI-coated vesicles.

Retrograde transport

The movement of materials from the Golgi back to the endoplasmic reticulum.