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New roles for endosomes: from vesicular carriers to multi-purpose platforms

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 10, pages 287–292 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The careful sorting and recycling of membranes and cargo and the intracellular delivery of proteins, toxins and viruses by endocytosis are well-established roles for the endocytic apparatus, which is present in all eukaryotic cells. Recently, it has become clear that endosomes have key roles in such diverse processes as cytokinesis, polarization and migration, in which their functions might be distinct from those classically associated with endosomes. We speculate that endosomes function as multifunctional platforms on which unique sets of molecular machines are assembled to suit different cellular roles.

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Figure 1: Endosome platforms in cytokinesis.
Figure 2: Endosome platforms in cell migration.

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Acknowledgements

Work in the G.W.G. laboratory is supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the Association for International Cancer Research. G.W.G. thanks C. Isacke and N. Bryant for helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Gwyn W. Gould is at the Henry Wellcome Laboratory of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Davidson Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK. g.gould@bio.gla.ac.uk,

    Gwyn W. Gould

  2. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz is at the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 18T Room 101, 18 Library Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5034, USA. lippincj@mail.nih.gov,

    Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz

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Gould, G., Lippincott-Schwartz, J. New roles for endosomes: from vesicular carriers to multi-purpose platforms. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 10, 287–292 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2652

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