Vesicular Trafficking & GTPases

This set of flashcards covers key terms and concepts related to vesicular trafficking and the role of GTPases in the process.

Exocytosis

The trafficking of lipids and proteins to the cell surface.

Endocytosis

The uptake of lipids and proteins from the cell surface.

Vesicle formation

The process that includes cargo recruitment, budding, and scission.

Coat proteins

Proteins that assemble into a structure to facilitate vesicle formation, such as Clathrin, COPI, and COPII.

Dynamin

A protein that cuts the bud neck to free vesicles after basket formation.

GTPase

Enzymes that can hydrolyze GTP to GDP, playing key roles in regulating vesicle trafficking.

Rab proteins

Class of GTPase proteins that act as address labels for vesicles to their target organelles.

SNAREs

Proteins that mediate the fusion of vesicles with their target membranes.

V-SNARE

A vesicular SNARE involved in the docking and fusion process of vesicles.

Tethering proteins

Proteins that bind to target compartments and localize vesicles near their target membranes.

Clathrin

A coat protein that assembles into a basket-like structure to facilitate vesicle budding.

Sar1

A GTPase that regulates COPII vesicle formation from the ER.

Adaptor proteins

Proteins that bind cargo receptors and recruit coat proteins for vesicle formation.

Cargo receptor proteins

Proteins that bind specific proteins to be trafficked during vesicle formation.

COPI-coated vesicles

Vesicles that are dedicated to trafficking within the Golgi complex.

COPII-coated vesicles

Vesicles dedicated to trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum.

GEFs

Guanine nucleotide exchange factors that promote the activation of GTPases.

GAPs

GTPase activating proteins that promote the inactivation of GTPases.