Rab GTPases: master regulators that establish the secretory and endocytic pathways

SR Pfeffer - Molecular biology of the cell, 2017 - Am Soc Cell Biol
Molecular biology of the cell, 2017Am Soc Cell Biol
Several of the most important discoveries in the field of membrane traffic have come from
studies of Rab GTPases by Marino Zerial and Peter Novick and their colleagues. Zerial was
the first to discover that Rab GTPases represent identity markers for different membrane-
bound compartments, and each Rab organizes a collection of specific effectors into function-
specifying membrane microdomains to carry out receptor trafficking. Novick discovered that
the order (and thus polarity) of Rab GTPases along the secretory and endocytic pathways …
Several of the most important discoveries in the field of membrane traffic have come from studies of Rab GTPases by Marino Zerial and Peter Novick and their colleagues. Zerial was the first to discover that Rab GTPases represent identity markers for different membrane-bound compartments, and each Rab organizes a collection of specific effectors into function-specifying membrane microdomains to carry out receptor trafficking. Novick discovered that the order (and thus polarity) of Rab GTPases along the secretory and endocytic pathways are established by their specific, cognate guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), which partner with one Rab to regulate the subsequent- and prior-acting Rabs. Such so-called Rab cascades have evolved to establish domains that contain unique Rab proteins and their cognate effectors, which drive all steps of membrane trafficking. These findings deserve much broader recognition by the biomedical research community and are highlighted here, along with open questions that require serious attention for full understanding of the molecular basis of Rab GTPase-regulated membrane trafficking in eukaryotic cells.
Am Soc Cell Biol