AUTHOR=Martin-Urdiroz Magdalena , Deeks Michael J. , Horton Connor G. , Dawe Helen R. , Jourdain Isabelle TITLE=The Exocyst Complex in Health and Disease JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=4 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2016.00024 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2016.00024 ISSN=2296-634X ABSTRACT=

Exocytosis involves the fusion of intracellular secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane, thereby delivering integral membrane proteins to the cell surface and releasing material into the extracellular space. Importantly, exocytosis also provides a source of lipid moieties for membrane extension. The tethering of the secretory vesicle before docking and fusion with the plasma membrane is mediated by the exocyst complex, an evolutionary conserved octameric complex of proteins. Recent findings indicate that the exocyst complex also takes part in other intra-cellular processes besides secretion. These various functions seem to converge toward defining a direction of membrane growth in a range of systems from fungi to plants and from neurons to cilia. In this review we summarize the current knowledge of exocyst function in cell polarity, signaling and cell-cell communication and discuss implications for plant and animal health and disease.