The quest for a better resolution of protein‐translocation processes

Abstract

The EMBO Conference on the Control, Co‐ordination and Regulation of Protein Targeting and Translocation took place between 25 and 28 October 2008, in Sainte‐Maxime, France, and was organized by T. Pugsley & R. Zimmermann. Credit: Hotel les Jardins de Sainte‐Maxime, France. ![][1] See Glossary for abbreviations used in this article The 2008 European Molecular Biology Organization Conference on the Control, Co‐ordination and Regulation of Protein Targeting and Translocation was held in sunny Sainte‐Maxime, on the Cote d'Azur in Southern France. It brought together almost 200 scientists who work on protein translocation in different organelles, as well as in different kingdoms and domains of life, thereby providing a unique opportunity to discuss commonalities and differences between the operational mechanisms. The conference took place during an interesting time for this field of research. The biological question is as important as ever: how are huge macromolecules transported across membranes that are designed, in many cases, to be impermeable even to protons? Protein translocases have been studied for several decades, and the most famous examples have been subjected to exhaustive biochemical, structural and genetic analyses. Although it is undeniable that these ‘traditional’ approaches are continuing to bear fruit and elucidate the basic translocation processes, it is becoming increasingly evident that, on the whole, protein translocases are not simply machines that grab proteins on one side of the membrane and send them to the other by a standard—but impressive—mechanism. Instead, and as the conference title implies, they are sophisticated systems that can be controlled and adapted to the types of protein substrate being transported, and to the prevailing physiological status of the organism or organelle. Here, we give an account of some of these exciting new areas. For background, Fig 1 shows the key protein translocases under discussion, as well as their evolutionary relationships. Figure 1. The major … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif