Endocytic Transport and Some of its Implications for Physiology, Metabolism, and Disease

Endocytic Transport and Some of its Implications for Physiology, Metabolism, and Disease

From a systems biology perspective, endocytic transport can be considered as cell subsystem whose function has major implications for homeostasis, as well as for basic responses of a cell in terms of survival, proliferation, differentiation, and generation of external signals (intercellular communication). As such, this subsystem has implications for many physiological and pathological processes (examples below). At least eight or nine different endocytic pathways have been characterized or postulated. Several of these can participate in Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis (RME).