Question

You incubate liposomes with a series of purified proteins normally found in the coats of cell transport vesicles. After adding one of them to the liposome mixture, budding of vesicles from the liposomes began. What does this mean?

Answer 1

The observation that liposomes begin budding vesicles after the addition of specific proteins suggests those proteins are likely involved in vesicle formation and trafficking, resembling key steps in cellular transport mechanisms such as endocytosis.

Step-by-step explanation:

When budding of vesicles from liposomes began after adding purified proteins, this likely indicates that the proteins in question have a role in vesicle formation or trafficking. Such proteins could include those involved in vesicle coating, which are necessary for the formation and release of transport vesicles that deliver payloads within the cell or to the extracellular environment. Specifically, proteins such as clathrin or COP proteins, play a role in shaping the membrane into a bud and eventually pinching off to form a separate vesicle.

This process is essential for the proper sorting and distribution of cellular components, as well as the internalization of external materials via endocytosis. In the cell, after the vesicle has formed, coat proteins typically dissociate, allowing the vesicle to fuse with target membranes, such as the plasma membrane or early endosomes, with the aid of additional proteins such as V-SNARE and T-SNARE