Translation protein sorting/transport

In a simplified view, the total flow is as follows (Fig. 8). Both soluble and membrane proteins that are translated at the membrane-bound ribosome are first localized at the ER. Some of them are transported to the Golgi apparatus, whereas others remain at the ER. At the Golgi apparatus, including the trans Golgi network (TGN), the next selection occurs some are transported to the plasma membrane, others to the endosome and to the lysosome/vacuole finally, and still others remain there. The lysosome is also an important organelle for the other transport system, the endocytic pathway. In this pathway, proteins at the plasma membrane are internalized by endocytosis. The sorting to lysosomes is treated in the next section. 

The biogenesis of both acetylcholine receptor and chromaffin granules share several common properties. The specific polypeptides are synthesized and transported into the membrane by a vectorial translation process. The specific proteins are sorted out by the Golgi apparatus and eventually fuse with the plasma membrane via the secretory pathway. Yet the acetylcholine receptor functions on the plasma membrane, and therefore it should stay on this membrane for a long time (2-7 days). On the other hand, the function of chromaffin granules is to store neurotransmitters. Therefore they stay most of their lifetime inside the cell and their fusion with the plasma membrane is temporary. Soon after the secretion process, the constituents of the chromaffin granule membrane must be removed from the plasma membrane by endocytosis. 

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