Landmark discoveries in intracellular transport and secretion

Abstract

Cellular protein transport and secretion is fundamental to the very existence of an organism, regulating important physiological functions such as reproduction, digestion, energy production, growth, neurotransmission, hormone release, water and ion transport, etc., all required for the survival and maintenance of homeostasis within an organism. Molecular understanding of transport and secretion of intracellular product has therefore been of paramount importance and aggressively investigated for over six decades. Only in the last 20 years, the general molecular mechanism of the process has come to light, following discovery of key proteins involved in ER-Golgi transport, and discovery of the 'porosome' - the universal secretion machinery in cells. © 2007 Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.