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Multiple Choice

Which coat protein mediates ER to Golgi transport?

Coat proteins sculpt vesicles and determine their destination, guiding cargo from one compartment to the next. For transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, the coat protein complex that forms COPII vesicles is used. COPII assembles on the ER membrane, with the Sar1 GTPase initiating coat formation and recruiting the Sec23/24 inner coat (which helps select cargo) and the Sec13/31 outer coat to form the vesicle. After budding, COPII uncoats so the vesicle can fuse with the cis-Golgi and deliver its cargo. In contrast, COPI mediates retrograde transport from the Golgi back to the ER, clathrin is involved in vesicles from the Golgi to endosomes and from the plasma membrane during endocytosis, and caveolin is tied to caveolae at the plasma membrane rather than ER–Golgi trafficking.

Coat proteins sculpt vesicles and determine their destination, guiding cargo from one compartment to the next. For transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, the coat protein complex that forms COPII vesicles is used. COPII assembles on the ER membrane, with the Sar1 GTPase initiating coat formation and recruiting the Sec23/24 inner coat (which helps select cargo) and the Sec13/31 outer coat to form the vesicle. After budding, COPII uncoats so the vesicle can fuse with the cis-Golgi and deliver its cargo. In contrast, COPI mediates retrograde transport from the Golgi back to the ER, clathrin is involved in vesicles from the Golgi to endosomes and from the plasma membrane during endocytosis, and caveolin is tied to caveolae at the plasma membrane rather than ER–Golgi trafficking.