The retention signal for soluble proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum.

The lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contains a number of soluble proteins, many of which help the maturation of newly synthesized secretory proteins. Retention of these resident proteins in the ER is dependent on a carboxy-terminal signal, which in animal cells is usually Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu (KDEL). This signal is thought to be recognized by a membrane-bound receptor that continually retrieves the proteins from a later compartment of the secretory pathway and returns them to the ER.