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Updated: May 2, 2026

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles
Published on: February 4, 2013
Self-assembly of minimal COPII cages
Bruno Antonny1, Pierre Gounon, Randy Schekman
1Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS, Valbonne, France. antonny@ipmc.cnrs.fr
Abstract:
The small G-protein Sar1 and the cytosolic complexes Sec23/24 and Sec13/31 associate sequentially on endoplasmic reticulum membranes to form a protein coat named COPII, which drives the formation of transport vesicles. Using dynamic light scattering, we show that Sec23/24 and Sec13/31 can self-assemble in a stoichiometric manner in solution to form particles with hydrodynamic radii in the range of 40-60 nm. Self-assembly is favoured by lowering the pH, the ionic strength and/or the temperature. Electron microscopy reveals the formation of spherical particles 60-120 nm in diameter with a tight, rough mesh on their surfaces. We suggest that these structures, which represent a minimal COPII cage, mimic the molecular organization of the membrane-associated COPII coat.
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