Membrane transport in the endocytic pathway: animal versus plant cells

The endocytic pathway is a well established process in animal cells, but it is not well understood in plant cells. AL the morphological level, all the compartments involved in endocytosis in animal cells seem to have counterp arts in plant cells, and the organization of the pathway appears to share s ome striking similarities. Several Rab homologues have been found in plant cells, including homologues of Rab5, Rab7, and Rab11, markers of endocytic compartments in animal cells. Coat proteins are also present in plant cells , including clathrin, adaptins, and ADP ribosylation factor proteins. Howev er, endocytic compartments in plant cells also exhibit specific features bo th in organization and function. The molecular composition of these compart ments remains to be Established, and future work will be necessary to ident ify the key regulators of endocytic trafficking in plant cells.