Recognition and tethering of transport vesicles at the Golgi apparatus

- Coiled-coil golgin proteins capture transport vesicles in a specific manner.
- Golgins contain vesicle tethering motifs.
- Multi-subunit tethering complexes (MTCs) likely act downstream of golgins to orchestrate vesicle tethering.
- Golgi MTCs share a similar structural organization with elongated 'spidery' arms.

The Golgi apparatus occupies a central position within the secretory pathway where it is a hub for vesicle trafficking. Distinct classes of transport vesicles traffic diverse cargoes into and out of this organelle, as well as between the different Golgi subcompartments. A key feature of Golgi trafficking is the specific recognition of transport vesicles at the different regions of the Golgi apparatus, required for the correct cargo delivery. Specificity is ensured by coiled-coil golgins and multi-subunit tethering complexes (MTCs), which act together to capture vesicles and promote their subsequent fusion with the Golgi membrane. In this review we discuss our current understanding of how golgins and MTCs function together to mediate the specific recognition of vesicles at the Golgi apparatus.