Post-Golgi Trafficking in Plant Cells

Post-Golgi trafficking in plants regulates transport to and from the cell surface, vacuolar trafficking, and recycling pathways within the endomembrane system. Endosomes serve as central hubs in these pathways, managing the composition of lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane and vacuole in response to developmental signals or environmental changes. Once internalized via endocytosis, plasma membrane proteins are directed to the trans-Golgi Network (TGN), which acts as an early endosome. From the TGN, proteins can either be sent back to the plasma membrane or trafficked to multivesicular endosomes (MVEs) for further sorting and ultimate delivery to the vacuole for degradation. Key molecular assemblies such as the retromer, the ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) machinery, small GTPases, adaptor proteins, and SNAREs associate with distinct domains of endosomal membranes to facilitate protein sorting and membrane remodeling. This review focuses on the roles of endosomes in post-Golgi trafficking, mechanisms of cargo sorting, and membrane remodeling.