The Role of the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Protein Synthesis, Modification and Intracellular Transport

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Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the port of entry of the protein secretory pathway. Proteins destined for the cell wall, the vacuole or for the other compartments of the endomembrane system are first inserted into the ER and then transported to the Golgi complex en route to their final destinations. The ER is the compartment where newly-synthesized polypeptides fold, where many multimeric proteins assemble and where glycoproteins acquire their asparagine-linked glycans. The ER also provides a protein quality control function and proteins are usually retained in this compartment until they have acquired their correct conformation. The ER-located processes are catalysed by membrane-associated or soluble proteins whose accumulation in the ER is due to specific sorting signals, allowing their separation from proteins destined to more distal locations in the endomembrane system. In the seeds of some plants, the ER is also the site of aggregation and accumulation of some classes of storage proteins. Consistent progress has been made in recent years towards the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms governing these events, and plant biology is making a contribution to the understanding of ER-located events conserved among all eukaryotic organisms.

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