Toward a Model for Arf GTPases as Regulators of Traffic at the Golgi

• Authors: Richard A Kahn, Emory University
• Journal Title: FEBS Letters
• Volume: Volume 583, Number 23
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months | 2009-12-03, Pages 3872-3879
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2009.10.066
• Keywords: ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf); Arf-like (Arl); Arf-dependent adaptors; Arf GEFs; Arf GAPs

Abstract

In this review I summarize the likely roles played by Arf proteins in the regulation of membrane traffic at the Golgi, from the perspective of the GTPase. The most glaring limitations to the development of a coherent molecular model are highlighted; including incomplete information on the initiation of Arf activation, identification of the “accessory proteins” required for carrier maturation and scission, and those required for directed traffic and fusion at the destination membrane. Though incomplete, the molecular model of carrier biogenesis has developed rapidly in recent years and promises richness in understanding this essential process.