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Nature 438, 299-300 (17 November 2005) | doi:10.1038/438299a; Published online 16 November 2005

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Cell biology: Two pores better than one?

Arnold J. M. Driessen1

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The movement of proteins through a cell's membrane requires a dedicated molecular machine. A glimpse of this apparatus in action shows that it has two channels, and hints at how these pores might be regulated.

A cell's membrane bristles with proteins that sense and communicate with its environment, and the cell secretes other proteins to send messages farther afield. To reach their destination, these proteins must travel from the aqueous environment of the cytoplasm where they are synthesized, through the seemingly impenetrable boundary of the lipid membrane.

  1. Arnold J. M. Driessen is in the Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, and the Materials Sciences Center Plus, University of Groningen, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands.
    Email: a.j.m.driessen@rug.nl

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