Article
- The EMBO Journal (2004) 23, 2755 - 2764
- doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600281
Published online: 1 July 2004
Subject Category:
Signal recognition particle mediates post-translational targeting in eukaryotes
Benjamin M Abell1, Martin R Pool1, Oliver Schlenker2, Irmgard Sinning2 and Stephen High1
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Biochemiezentrum der Universität Heidelberg (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
Correspondence to:
Stephen High, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Tel.: +44 161 275 5070; Fax: +44 161 275 5082; E-mail: shigh@fs1.scg.man.ac.uk
Received 28 January 2004; Accepted 28 May 2004
Abstract
Signal recognition particle (SRP) plays a central role in the delivery of classical secretory and membrane proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). All nascent chains studied to date dissociate from SRP once released from the ribosome, thereby supporting a strictly cotranslational mode of action for eukaryotic SRP. We now report a novel post-translational function for SRP in the targeting of tail-anchored (TA) proteins to the ER. TA proteins possess a hydrophobic membrane insertion sequence at their C-terminus such that it can only emerge from the ribosome after translation is terminated. We show that SRP can associate post-translationally with this type of ER-targeting signal, and deliver newly synthesised TA proteins to the ER membrane by a pathway dependent upon GTP and the SRP receptor. We find that dependency upon this SRP-dependent route is precursor specific, and propose a unifying model to describe the biogenesis of TA proteins in vivo.
Keywords:
- ER targeting,
- membrane protein biogenesis,
- SRP,
- tail-anchored protein
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