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Related Concept Videos

Rab Cascades01:25

Rab Cascades

Rab GTPases act in a regulated cascade during membrane fusion, helping the lipid bilayers mix. The Rab family of proteins are active when bound to GTP, and inactive when bound to GDP. Hence, they act as guanine nucleotide-dependent molecular switches. Rab-GTP recognizes and binds to long or short-range tethering proteins to capture the target vesicle. These tethers coordinate with SNAREs on the vesicle and the target membrane to assemble the trans SNARE complex that locks the mixing bilayers.
Rab Proteins01:14

Rab Proteins

Rab proteins constitute the largest family of monomeric GTPases, of which 70 members are present in humans. Rab proteins and their effectors regulate consecutive stages of vesicle transport such as vesicle transport, docking, and fusion to the correct recipient membrane.
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis00:58

Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis

The recycling endosome, also known as the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC), is a part of the slow-recycling process of the endocytic pathway. Molecules internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis are either degraded in the lysosomes or are recycled to the plasma membrane through the fast- or slow-recycling route.
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin01:28

The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin

Essential proteins such as insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and micronutrients such as iron enter a eukaryotic cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, the early endosomes fuse with the vesicles containing such receptor-ligand complexes and play a vital role in sorting the incoming ligands and receptors. While the ligands are either degraded inside the vesicle or released into the cytosol, their receptors are returned to the plasma membrane for further rounds of...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
GTPases and their Regulation02:14

GTPases and their Regulation

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins), also known as GTPases, are a superfamily of proteins that regulate many cellular processes, such as cell signaling, vesicular transport, and the regulation of cell shape and motility. Mutation or dysfunction of these proteins can lead to disease. There are around 40,000 known G-proteins that can broadly be classified into two groups ‒  small G-proteins consisting of a single domain and large multi-domain G-proteins.
Large G-proteins, also known...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis
16:01

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis

Published on: January 26, 2015

Regulation of endocytosis by the small GTP-ase Rab5.

M Zerial1

  • 1European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Postfach 10.2209, D-6900, Heidelberg, Germany.

Cytotechnology
|February 24, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Rab5, a GTPase regulating endocytosis, controls the speed of early endosome fusion. Its GTP-binding function is crucial for endocytic vesicle trafficking and organelle shape.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Endocytosis Research

Background:

  • Rab5 is a small GTPase.
  • It localizes to the plasma membrane and early endosomes.
  • Endocytosis involves the uptake of extracellular material via vesicles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Rab5 in endocytosis.
  • To determine how Rab5 affects endocytic organelle morphology and kinetics.
  • To elucidate Rab5's function in vesicle fusion processes.

Main Methods:

  • Expression of wild-type Rab5 in BHK cells.
  • Expression of a GTP-binding defective Rab5 mutant in BHK cells.
  • Analysis of endocytosis rates and endocytic organelle morphology.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes
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In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes

Published on: August 28, 2017

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins
09:22

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins

Published on: December 13, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis
16:01

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis

Published on: January 26, 2015

In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes
12:15

In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes

Published on: August 28, 2017

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins
09:22

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins

Published on: December 13, 2013

Main Results:

  • Rab5 expression altered endocytosis rates.
  • Mutant Rab5 affected endocytic organelle morphology.
  • Rab5 regulates the fusion of early endosomes and plasma membrane-derived vesicles.

Conclusions:

  • Rab5 acts as a rate-limiting GTPase in endocytosis.
  • Rab5 is essential for regulating the kinetics of early endosome fusion.
  • Rab5 plays a critical role in the fusion of endocytic vesicles with early endosomes.