Investigation of the mechanisms involved in the assembly of COPI-coated vesicles by cryo-electron microscopy

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In addition to allow life forms to exist, cellular membranes organize the interior of the eukaryotic cell into biochemically distinct compartments in which specific cellular functions are performed. The transport of proteins (cargo) between discontinuous sub-cellular compartments relies on the assembly and disassembly of multilayered coat protein complexes (CPCs) onto cellular membrane. To-date, three major types of vesicles have been described: clathrin-, COPI (coat protein complex I)- and COPII (coat protein complex II)-coated vesicles. Clathrin-coated vesicles bud from the plasma membrane, trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomes. COPI-coated vesicles traffic primarily from the Golgi to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and between Golgi cisternae. COPII-coated vesicles traffic from the ER to the Golgi. The structures of clathrin and COPII coated vesicles have recently been published. Although these vesicles appear to share some common mechanical designs, there are significant differences in the way the vesicles are assembled.