Membrane Trafficking: Returning to the Fold(ER)

Perez-Linero, Ana Maria; Muñiz, Manuel

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.02.007

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Importantly, members of these multiple families act at discrete locations or trafficking pathways; the specificity of trafficking is in part encoded in the combinatorial interactions of these various players [7]. For example, COPII-coated vesicles mediate anterograde transport from the ER to the Golgi, while the corresponding retrograde transport step requires COPI vesicle formation [8]; clathrin-coated vesicles mediate multiple post-Golgi transport routes [9]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving the homology—function relationship through comparative genomics of membrane-trafficking machinery and parasite cell biology

Klinger

Ramírez-Macías

Herman

et al. 2016

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

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With advances in DNA sequencing technology, it is increasingly common and tractable to informatically look for genes of interest in the genomic databases of parasitic organisms and infer cellular states. Assignment of a putative gene function based on homology to functionally characterized genes in other organisms, though powerful, relies on the implicit assumption of functional homology, i.e. that orthology indicates conserved function. Eukaryotes reveal a dazzling array of cellular features and structural organization, suggesting a concomitant diversity in their underlying molecular machinery. Significantly, examples of novel functions for pre-existing or new paralogues are not uncommon. Do these examples undermine the basic assumption of functional homology, especially in parasitic protists, which are often highly derived? Here we examine the extent to which functional homology exists between organisms spanning the eukaryotic lineage. By comparing membrane trafficking proteins between parasitic protists and traditional model organisms, where direct functional evidence is available, we find that function is indeed largely conserved between orthologues, albeit with significant adaptation arising from the unique biological features within each lineage.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%