Question

How many steps are involved in vesicle targeting and fusion?

a. Six
b. Seven
c. Eight
d. Nine

Answer 1

There are eight steps involved in vesicle targeting and fusion: formation of the vesicles, capture by the target membrane, tethering, docking, primed for fusion, membrane fusion, release of cargo, and membrane recycling.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is c. Eight.

There are eight steps involved in vesicle targeting and fusion:

1. Formation of the vesicles: Vesicles are formed from the Golgi apparatus and transported along microtubules.
2. Capture by the target membrane: The vesicles are captured by the target membrane, which is usually the plasma membrane or an organelle membrane.
3. Tethering: The vesicles are temporarily attached to the target membrane by tethering proteins.
4. Docking: The vesicles come into close proximity with the target membrane.
5. Primed for fusion: The vesicles undergo conformational changes, making them ready for fusion.
6. Membrane fusion: The vesicle membrane and target membrane merge, allowing the contents of the vesicle to be released into the target compartment.
7. Release of cargo: The cargo molecules within the vesicle are released into the target compartment.
8. Membrane recycling: The vesicle membrane is recycled back to the donor compartment for future use.