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Protein sorting and membrane-mediated interactions

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Abstract

Sorting of membrane proteins is of vital importance for living cells. Indeed, roughly one-third of a eukaryotic cell’s proteome consists of peripheral and transmembrane proteins. These need to be properly distributed and dynamically maintained at distinct locations in the compartmentalized cell, and one may wonder how proteins determine where, when, and how to travel to reach a specific organelle. While specific binary interactions between proteins have been invoked in explaining the trafficking and sorting processes, a more active role of lipids in this context has become visible in recent years. In particular, membrane-mediated interactions have been suggested to serve as a robust physicochemical mechanism to facilitate protein sorting. Here, we will review some recent insights into these aspects.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by DFG grant WE4335/2-1.

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  1. Experimental Physics I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    Mária Hanulová & Matthias Weiss

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  1. Mária Hanulová
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  2. Matthias Weiss
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Correspondence to Matthias Weiss.

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Hanulová, M., Weiss, M. Protein sorting and membrane-mediated interactions. Biophys Rev 4, 117–124 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-012-0069-8

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