Transport of vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein in a cell-free extract

We describe a cell-free system in which the membrane glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus is rapidly and efficiently transported to membranes of the Golgi complex by a process resembling intracellular protein transport. Transport in vitro is energy-dependent and is accompanied by terminal glycosylation of the membrane glycoprotein (dependent upon UDP-GlcNAc and resulting in resistance to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H).