Getting out: protein traffic in prokaryotes

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Abstract
Summary Protein secretion systems in prokaryotes are increas- ingly shifting from being considered as experimental models for 'more complex' processes (i.e. eukary- otes) to being a major source of key biological ques- tions in their own right. The pathways by which proteins move between compartments or insert into membranes in prokaryotic cells are certainly less numerous than in eukaryotes (though not dramati- cally so). However, the quality and complexity of bac- terial protein targeting systems indicate that virtually all mechanistic problems associated with protein traf- fic were solved very efficiently well before eukaryotes appeared on the Earth crust. Indeed, recent studies have both increased the number of known prokaryotic protein traffic systems and indicated new layers of complexity for those that were already well character- ized. This report describes some recent develop- ments in bacterial protein traffic that were presented at two meetings in the autumn of 2003.