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ESCRT s are everywhere
Author(s) -
Hurley James H
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.201592484
Subject(s) - escrt , biology , cytokinesis , tsg101 , microbiology and biotechnology , budding , biogenesis , microvesicles , endosome , cell division , cell , biochemistry , intracellular , microrna , gene
The ESCRT proteins are an ancient system that buds membranes and severs membrane necks from their inner face. Three “classical” functions of the ESCRT s have dominated research into these proteins since their discovery in 2001: the biogenesis of multivesicular bodies in endolysosomal sorting; the budding of HIV ‐1 and other viruses from the plasma membrane of infected cells; and the membrane abscission step in cytokinesis. The past few years have seen an explosion of novel functions: the biogenesis of microvesicles and exosomes; plasma membrane wound repair; neuron pruning; extraction of defective nuclear pore complexes; nuclear envelope reformation; plus‐stranded RNA virus replication compartment formation; and micro‐ and macroautophagy. Most, and perhaps all, of the functions involve the conserved membrane‐neck‐directed activities of the ESCRT s, revealing a remarkably widespread role for this machinery through a broad swath of cell biology.