Where proteins and lipids meet: membrane trafficking on the move

The compartmental organization of eukaryotic cells has fascinated cell biologists for several decades. Detailed morphological, genetic, and biochemical studies have unraveled astonishingly complex molecular machineries involved in establishing and maintaining organelle identity and cell polarization. Many of the transport steps in the secretory and endocytic pathways are subject to manifold regulatory mechanisms, which in turn are interconnected with a plethora of signaling pathways. It therefore does not seem surprising that the cell biology of intracellular protein and lipid transport continues to thrive. The topics covered at the recent meeting on "Protein Transport in the Secretory Pathway" reflect the enormous complexity of how compartmentalization in eukaryotic cells is achieved.