Characterising subtypes of intracellular nanovesicles

Eukaryotic cells are compartmentalised with distinct organelles and diverse membrane-bound structures. The communication between these compartments is via different vesicular carriers, and is crucial to cellular physiology. This communication is called membrane trafficking. Among the different types of vesicular carriers, there are intracellular nanovesicles (INVs), a newly discovered type of vesicle that has diverse cargo and operates on several different trafficking pathways. It appears that this abundant type of vesicle is in fact a family of many different subtypes of INV. So far we have characterised one subtype of INV that is involved in autophagy - the cell's recycling system - but others exist. We have detailed the proteins that are associated with all INVs. The aim of this project is to characterise some of these vesicle subtypes, using the proteins as a guide in order to understand the different subtypes of INVs that exist in cells and the roles they play in cellular physiology.