ORGANIZATION OF ORGANELLES AND MEMBRANE TRAFFIC BY MICROTUBULES

Organelles of the central membrane system of higher eukaryotes have been shown to utilize microtubules both for maintenance of their characteristic spatial distributions and for efficient transport of their protein and lipid to diverse sites within the cell. Recent work addressing the mechanisms that underlie this organization provides new insights regarding the roles of microtubules and microtubule motors in influencing organelle dynamics and specific membrane traffic routes through the cytoplasm.