About this Research Topic
Intracellular trafficking is a tightly regulated process that facilitates the exchange of different cargos between cellular compartments, allowing proteins, lipids, and other cellular components to reach the subcellular destinations where they can properly exert their functions. Tubulovesicular transport is the main form of communication between the different compartments of the endomembrane system in eukaryotic cells. Additionally, other mechanisms of cargo moving and molecular processing, as well as inter-cellular communication systems, such as extracellular vesicles and nanotubes, represent important constituents of cellular trafficking. Trafficking is also crucial for cellular organelle biogenesis and homeostasis, and its relevance in human pathophysiology is pointed out by the evidence that more than 340 monogenic diseases are caused by trafficking alterations, and that trafficking anomalies can be involved in the pathogenesis of complex diseases as well.
Over the last few years, many important discoveries increased our knowledge of intracellular trafficking in health and disease, but many questions remain still open. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of intracellular trafficking, investigating their alterations in human diseases, and developing new trafficking assays and experimental models are key factors for the development of the field.
The aim of the current Research Topic is to cover promising, recent, and novel research trends in the intracellular trafficking and membrane dynamics field, through the publication of both original research and review articles. Areas to be covered in this Research
Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Molecular mechanisms of cellular trafficking, including membrane trafficking/vesicular and tubular transport, autophagy, and transport along the cytoskeleton
• Trafficking in organelle biogenesis and homeostasis
• Modulation of trafficking and membrane dynamics in stress response (e.g., autophagy)
• Alterations of cellular trafficking in human diseases
• Intracellular trafficking and membrane dynamics in intercellular communication (e.g., exosomes, other extracellular vesicles biogenesis and functions, and nanotubes)
• Assays/methodologies and cellular and animal models to study intracellular trafficking
• Transcriptional regulation of cellular trafficking machinery components (e.g., transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs)
Over the last few years, many important discoveries increased our knowledge of intracellular trafficking in health and disease, but many questions remain still open. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of intracellular trafficking, investigating their alterations in human diseases, and developing new trafficking assays and experimental models are key factors for the development of the field.
The aim of the current Research Topic is to cover promising, recent, and novel research trends in the intracellular trafficking and membrane dynamics field, through the publication of both original research and review articles. Areas to be covered in this Research
Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Molecular mechanisms of cellular trafficking, including membrane trafficking/vesicular and tubular transport, autophagy, and transport along the cytoskeleton
• Trafficking in organelle biogenesis and homeostasis
• Modulation of trafficking and membrane dynamics in stress response (e.g., autophagy)
• Alterations of cellular trafficking in human diseases
• Intracellular trafficking and membrane dynamics in intercellular communication (e.g., exosomes, other extracellular vesicles biogenesis and functions, and nanotubes)
• Assays/methodologies and cellular and animal models to study intracellular trafficking
• Transcriptional regulation of cellular trafficking machinery components (e.g., transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs)
Keywords: intracellular trafficking, membrane trafficking, vesicular transport, autophagy, cytoskeleton, transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
