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Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Image-Based Methods to Study Membrane Trafficking Events in Stomatal Lineage Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
GBF1 and Arf1 function in vesicular trafficking, lipid homoeostasis and organelle dynamics
Beata Kaczmarek1, Jean-Marc Verbavatz1, Catherine L Jackson1
1Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, F-75013, France.
Abstract:
The ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) small G proteins act as molecular switches to coordinate multiple downstream pathways that regulate membrane dynamics. Their activation is spatially and temporally controlled by the guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Members of the evolutionarily conserved GBF/Gea family of Arf GEFs are well known for their roles in formation of coat protein complex I (COPI) vesicles, essential for maintaining the structure and function of the Golgi apparatus. However, studies over the past 10 years have found new functions for these GEFs, along with their substrate Arf1, in lipid droplet metabolism, clathrin-independent endocytosis, signalling at the plasma membrane, mitochondrial dynamics and transport along microtubules. Here, we describe these different functions, focussing in particular on the emerging theme of GFB1 and Arf1 regulation of organelle movement on microtubules.
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