Processing and targeting of proteins in the eucaryote

Cell-free systems have helped to elucidate the molecular constituents regulating the selection and translocation of proteins into and across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes, the transport to and through the Golgi apparatus, and the sorting of proteins to the lysosomes, the plasmalemma, and the extracellular milieu. The use of cell-free systems has also been instrumental in defining the endosomal apparatus and its functional significance in the sorting of incoming ligands and receptors, the selective processing of internalized ligands such as insulin, and transmembrane signalling, especially of the epidermal growth factor and insulin receptor tyrosine kinases. Predicted use of cell-free systems to study interorganelle relationships may help to identify the majority of molecular constituents regulating membrane traffic in the eucaryote.