Targeting Signals in Protein Trafficking and Transport

  • 13k

    Total Downloads

  • 66k

    Total Views and Downloads

Download PDFDownload EPUB

Submit your idea

Select the journal/section where you want your idea to be submitted:

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

Specific protein transport processes are essential to sequester proteins within membrane bound compartments or to export them effectively from cells. Such transport processes are commonly initiated by the interaction of characteristic targeting signals encoded in the primary sequence of proteins and their cognate receptor proteins, which mediate the interaction with the respective general transport machinery across the organellar, ER or bacterial membrane. Targeting signals for mitochondria (presequences), chloroplasts (transit peptides), peroxisomes (type-2 peroxisomal targeting signal, PTS2), but also for the ER (signal peptides) or the bacterial secretion system (signal peptides or signal sequences) share positions at the N-terminal part of the proteins and a characteristic alpha-helical sequence element. A high selectivity of the receptor proteins for different types of targeting signals is a prerequisite for specific protein transport. However, a detailed understanding of the width of diverse physiological functions associated with N-terminal targeting signals is only beginning to develop, which would certainly also benefit from a systematic comparison with other types of targeting signals, including those found internally and at the C-termini of polypeptides.

This Research Topic should broaden the understanding of the nature of N-terminal targeting signals and their diverse physiological roles by bringing together results from systematic analyses, novel biophysical methods and comparative bioinformatics analyses. By this means, the inherent differences between these targeting signals and the specificity of their recognition by receptor proteins should be emphasized. Recent results demonstrated a bilocalization of various mitochondrial and chloroplastic proteins suggesting a lower specificity of transport than anticipated. Moreover, differences in the characteristics of signal peptides mediating co- or posttranslational ER-import became available by a systematic identification of naturally occurring substrates of both pathways. Furthermore, the ectopic expression of proteins in phylogenetically distant species can cause their mislocalization. The profile of proteins imported by N-terminal targeting signals can be modulated by different processes such as secondary modifications of targeting signals and receptors, but also by the expression of several individual receptor proteins, which differ in their substrate specificity and their engagement with different chaperones.
Finally, N-terminal targeting signals can contribute to human diseases as mutations in targeting signals were found to cause inherited human diseases, and intracellular pathogens and viruses equip their proteins with suitable targeting signals to ensure their proper distribution, but also because bacterial signal peptides are specifically recognized as part of the innate immune response. For biotechnological application a better understanding of N-terminal targeting signals will facilitate the improvement of secretory systems for the heterologous production of proteins.

We accept original scientific work and review articles of high quality, which deal with diverse aspects of the properties and functions of N-terminal targeting signals, but also papers which compare them with other types of targeting signals. This may reach from common and specifying properties of these targeting signals to the modes of their interaction with receptor proteins, from regulatory processes modulating their import efficiency to the fate of mislocalized proteins and from patterns of evolutionary change in these signals to their relevance in human diseases such as their utilization by intracellular pathogens or viruses. This issue will be open to different types of methodological approaches covering traditional biochemical, genetic and molecular biological techniques, but also biophysical or bioinformatic approaches with a special appreciation of interdisciplinary work.

Keywords: Protein transport, targeting signals, mitochondria, chloroplasts, ER, peroxisomes, bacteria

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.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and they fall under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

      In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Participating Journals

Impact

  • 66kTopic views
  • 49kArticle views
  • 13kArticle downloads
View impact