Regulation of vesicular transport

A remarkable feature of all cells (from yeast to man) is the presence of internal membrane-bound structures, termed organelles. Each type of organelle carries out specific and essential cellular functions. For these functions to happen, there must be a transport system to deliver components to the correct organelle for proper function of that organelle. For all types of cells, delivery of material relies on the production of a transport vesicle that moves material to a target organelle, fuses with the organelle and so delivers its contents (cargo). The production of these vesicles and delivery of cargo are highly regulated processes, and defects in these processes have been implicated in many human diseases including neurological and developmental disorders, cancer and immune deficiencies, arise from defects affecting vesicular transport. We are using genetic and molecular approaches with yeast to explore the role of a class of regulatory proteins, termed ArfGAPs, which influence the production of transport vesicles, packaging of cargo and the ability of the vesicle to fuse with the target organelle.