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January 25, 2008

Mechanisms of Exocytosis

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

http://www.nyas.org/annals/detail.asp?annalID=1056

Mechanisms of ExocytosisEdited by: Robert Zorec, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljani, Slovenia; Nina Vardjan, Celica Biomedical Center, LCI and Institute of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Ljubljani, Slovenia; Helena H. Chowdhury, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Marko Kreft, University of Ljubljana and Celica Biomedical Center, Slovenia; and Marjan Rupnik, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Exocytosis, a universal process of eukaryotic cells consisting of the fusion between the vesicle and the plasma membrane, is an important topic in cell biology, physiology, biophysics, biochemistry, and many other disciplines. The understanding of this rather complex process is essential for the understanding of the normal function of unicellular and multicellular organisms in both animal and plant kingdoms as well as in pathological conditions. The last three decades have shown a rapid increase in publication of research papers addressing this exocytosis, and currently about 800 exocytosis papers are published every year.

The development of our understanding of exocytosis began with the initial evidence that “something is being released” from cells to the present description of extensive physiological, biophysical, molecular, and genetic properties of the process. We now have a long list of key proteins involved in exocytosis in a number of cell types, but we still have to strive to find a consensus about a mechanism or mechanisms that describe the interplay of key players in functional terms. 

This volume reports on the state of the art of exocytosis research.