The Golgi Network, Volume I

The Golgi apparatus was discovered by Camillo Golgi in 1898. Today, more than 125 years later, the Golgi apparatus is still a key object of active biochemical and cell biological research. The role of this organelle as a glycosylation factory has been well recognized while its function as a central station in protein sorting in membrane trafficking has raised many disputes during the past decades.

Morphologically, the beautiful cisternal stacks are often considered a typical structure of the Golgi, but looking across a variety of eukaryotic species, large variations in Golgi organization become apparent. Despite the long history of Golgi research, there still are many unanswered questions. How are Golgi residents and passing cargo proteins and lipids sorted from each other and find their correct transport routes and final destinations? What are the carriers or mechanisms mediating communication between cisternae – vesicles, tubules, or close membrane contacts? How is the compositional polarity of the organelle between the cis- and trans-sides established and maintained? What are the contributions of lipids in Golgi organization and function? Why do the cisternal Golgi stacks form ribbon structures in vertebrates? What are the precise roles of next-door neighbors of the Golgi – the intermediate compartment (ERGIC/IC) at the cis-face and the trans-Golgi network (TGN) at the trans-face – in its maintenance and function? To address these questions, many new technologies have been developed, leading to exciting discoveries. For example, state-of-the-art microscopic methods, such as high-speed and high-resolution live imaging and correlative light and electron microscopy are regarded as very promising approaches and are therefore undergoing continuous development.

This first volume of two presents the latest knowledge about the Golgi Organization and Dynamics covering different kingdoms from Fungi to Animals, put together by leading experts in the field contributing individual chapters to this book, which represents an exceptional collection of current concepts about the Golgi and its neighboring organelles. As such it is a valuable resource for both researchers and students.

Professor Akihiko Nakano is a cell biologist/biochemist with a particular interest in the molecular mechanisms of protein sorting during membrane trafficking and of carrier formation in the trafficking pathways. He explores the roles of membrane trafficking in many aspects of basic biology and life sciences, as well as super-resolution live imaging microscopy and its application. His work on the Golgi cisternal maturation is viewed as a monumental milestone in the field, not least as it helped to settle a big debate about the transport mechanisms in the Golgi apparatus and led to a rewriting of major cell biology textbooks. His group works on several different model systems, using yeast, plant and animal cells.

Professor Jaakko Saraste is a cell biologist/morphologist with a long-term interest in membrane trafficking along the secretory pathway. He is famous for his discovery of the intermediate compartment (IC or ERGIC) operating between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus and is continuing his investigations on the functional organization of this still enigmatic membrane system. Based on the emerging direct connection between the IC and the endocytic recycling system, he is also interested in the new roles of this compartment in unconventional protein secretion bypassing the Golgi, as well as in cellular egress of coronaviruses.