Architecture of the mammalian Golgi

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011 Jul 1;3(7):a005181. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a005181.

Abstract

Since its first visualization in 1898, the Golgi has been a topic of intense morphological research. A typical mammalian Golgi consists of a pile of stapled cisternae, the Golgi stack, which is a key station for modification of newly synthesized proteins and lipids. Distinct stacks are interconnected by tubules to form the Golgi ribbon. At the entrance site of the Golgi, the cis-Golgi, vesicular tubular clusters (VTCs) form the intermediate between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi stack. At the exit site of the Golgi, the trans-Golgi, the trans-Golgi network (TGN) is the major site of sorting proteins to distinct cellular locations. Golgi functioning can only be understood in light of its complex architecture, as was revealed by a range of distinct electron microscopy (EM) approaches. In this article, a general concept of mammalian Golgi architecture, including VTCs and the TGN, is described.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COP-Coated Vesicles / physiology
  • COP-Coated Vesicles / ultrastructure
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / ultrastructure
  • Golgi Apparatus / physiology
  • Golgi Apparatus / ultrastructure*
  • Humans
  • Mammals*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • trans-Golgi Network / physiology
  • trans-Golgi Network / ultrastructure