= Cisternal maturation
In <cisternal maturation>, a cargo-containing <Golgi cisterna> changes from early to later identity as its resident <proteins> change; retrieval of resident <enzymes> toward earlier compartments helps maintain <Golgi apparatus> polarity. In the contrasting stable-compartment model, cargo moves between persistent <Golgi cisternae> in <transport vesicles>. These mechanisms need not be mutually exclusive.<Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others/Transport from the ER through the Golgi Apparatus>[Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others; Transport Through the Golgi Apparatus May Occur by Vesicular Transport or Cisternal Maturation, Figure 13-30 and concluding comparison]{ref}
The distinction is between following cargo and following its container. A cargo label encountered first in an early processing environment and later in a late one is compatible with either changing containers or a container changing identity. Finding <transport vesicles> nearby does not by itself establish which cargo they carry or their direction of travel. Testing <cisternal maturation> therefore requires evidence about compartment identity and continuity as well as cargo position; a single mechanism should not be assumed for every cargo and <biological cell>.
Back to article page
