Membrane vesicle trafficking in
eukaryotic animal cells involves movement of important biochemical signal molecules from synthesis-and-packaging locations in Golgi body to specific 'release' locations on the inside of the plasma membrane of the secretory cell, in the form of Golgi membrane-bound micro-sized vesicles, termed
membrane vesicles (MVs). In this process, the 'packed' cellular products are released/secreted outside the cell across
plasma membrane. However, vesicular membrane is retained and recycled by the secretory cells. This phenomenon has key role in synaptic
neurotransmission,
endocrine secretion,
mucous secretion, granular-product
secretion by
neutrophils,etc. The scientists behind this discovery were awarded
Nobel prize for the year 2013. In the
prokaryotic gram-negative bacterial cells, membrane vesicle trafficking is mediated via bacterial outer membrane bounded nano-sized vesicles, called
bacterial outer membrane vesicles, (OMVs)(Fig.1). In this case, however, the OMV membrane is secreted as well, along with OMV-contents to outside the secretion-active
bacterium. This phenomenon has key role in host-pathogen interactions,
endotoxic shock in patients, invasion and
infection of animals/plants, inter-species bacterial competition, qourum sensing,
exocytosis,etc.(see External Links).