Tom Rapoport Part 1: Organelle Biosynthesis and Protein Sorting
Dr. Tom Rapoport explains that eukaryotic cells contain many membrane-bound organelles each of which has a characteristic shape and distinctive functions that are determined by specific proteins. Most proteins are made in the cytosol but must move to different cellular destinations. Signal sequences on the proteins act as “zip codes” and direct protein sorting. Many proteins sort first to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) before moving to other intracellular organelles or the plasma membrane. Rapoport explains that the Sec 61 channel in the ER membrane is key to protein sorting. Solving the structure of Sec 61 allowed Rapoport’s lab to understand how proteins are transported across the ER membrane and directed to their final destination.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
Eukaryotic cells have many different membrane-bound organelles with distinct functions and characteristic shapes. How does this happen? Dr. Tom Rapoport explains the important role of protein sorting in determining organelle shape and function. (Talk recorded in February 2019)
Dr. Tom Rapoport has been a Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School since 1995 and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 1997. Prior to joining Harvard, Rapoport was a Professor at the Institute for Molecular Biology in East Berlin, which later became the Max-Delbrück Institute for Molecular Medicine. Rapoport received his PhD…
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