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Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays
Published on: October 8, 2015
The TRAPP complexes: discriminating GTPases in context
Saket R Bagde1, J Christopher Fromme1
1Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Correct localization of Rab GTPases in cells is critical for proper function in membrane trafficking. Guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) act as the primary determinants of Rab localization by activating and stabilizing their Rab substrates on specific organelle and vesicle membranes. The TRAPP complexes TRAPPII and TRAPPIII are two related GEFs that use the same catalytic site to activate distinct Rabs, Rab11 and Rab1, respectively. The Rab C-terminal hypervariable domain (HVD) is an important specificity determinant for the budding yeast TRAPP complexes, with the length of the HVD playing a critical role in counter-selection. Several recent studies have used cryo-EM to illuminate how the yeast and metazoan TRAPP complexes identify and activate their substrates. This review summarizes recently characterized Rab substrate selection mechanisms and highlights how the membrane surface provides critical context for the GEF-GTPase interactions.
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