Membrane traffic in the secretory pathway.

During the last 20 years remarkable achievements have been made in the understanding of the molecular basis of membrane traffic in the secretory pathway. A combination of morphological, biochemical and genetical approaches revealed the identity of various compartments and transport intermediates, and provided basic functional insights into membrane trafficking. Recently, live cell imaging approaches further refined our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of budding, transport and fusion of transport containers, led to the discovery of new pathways and triggered new concepts as to how membrane traffic is orchestrated. This multi-author review highlights recent advances in membrane traffic by focusing on transport vesicles as the central mediators of communication in the secretory pathway.