Attachment of ribosomes to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum is one of the crucial first steps in the transport and secretion of intracellular proteins in mammalian cells. The process is mediated by an integral membrane protein of relative molecular mass 180,000 (Mr 180K), having a large (at least 160K) cytosolic domain that, when proteolytically detached from the membrane, can competitively inhibit the binding of ribosomes to intact membranes. Isolation of this domain has led to the identification, purification and characterization of the intact ribosome receptor, as well as its functional reconstitution into lipid vesicles.