The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 96, 1117-1119, Copyright © 1983 by The Rockefeller University Press
Transport and cleavage of bacterial pre-
-lactamase by mammalian microsomes
HM Kronenberg,
BJ Fennick,
and
TJ Vasicek
Eucaryotic endoplasmic reticulum and bacterial inner cell membranes use strikingly similar mechanisms to transport proteins from one cellular compartment to another. Using a mammalian linked transcription-translation system, we show here that canine pancreatic microsomes accurately cleave off the signal sequence of
-lactamase, a secreted bacterial protein. We suggest that the apparent differences between bacterial and eukaryotic protein transport may involve only minor modulations of a profoundly conserved mechanism.