Are All Multisubunit Tethering Complexes Bona Fide Tethers?. (18th September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brunet, Stephanie; Sacher, Michael
• Is Part Of: Traffic. Volume 15:Number 11(2014:Nov.)
• Page Start: 1282
• Page End: 1287
• Publication Date: 2014-09-18
• Subjects: Biological transport -- Periodicals; 571.6
• DOI: 10.1111/tra.12200
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1398-9219

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="tra12200-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p id="tra12200-para-0002">Since the late 1990s, a number of multisubunit tethering complexes (MTCs) have been described that function in membrane trafficking events: TRAPP I, TRAPP II, TRAPP III, COG, HOPS, CORVET, Dsl1, GARP and exocyst. On the basis of structural and sequence similarities, they have been categorized as <italic>c</italic>omplexes <italic>a</italic>ssociated with <italic>t</italic>ethering <italic>c</italic>ontaining <italic>h</italic>elical <italic>r</italic>ods (CATCHR) (Dsl1, COG, GARP and exocyst) or non‐CATCHR (TRAPP I, II and III, HOPS and CORVET) complexes (Yu IM, Hughson FM. Tethering factors as organizers of intracellular vesicular traffic. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2010;26:137–156). Both acronyms (CATCHR and MTC) imply these complexes tether opposing membranes to facilitate fusion. The main question we will address is: have these complexes been formally demonstrated to function as tethers? If the answer is no, then is it premature or even correct to refer to them as tethers? In this commentary, we will argue that the vast majority of MTCs have not been demonstrated to act as a tether. We propose that a distinction between the terms tether and tethering factor be considered to address this issue.</p> </abstract>