Molecular mechanisms in the disassembly and reassembly of the mammalian Golgi apparatus during M-phase

The mitotic disassembly and reassembly of the mammalian Golgi apparatus is an ideal system to study the molecular mechanisms involved in biogenesis and maintenance of membranous organelles. As cells enter M-phase, Golgi stacks are converted into Golgi clusters of small membrane fragments, which are dispersed throughout the cytoplasmic space during metaphase. Disassembly is dependent on the action of cdc2-kinase and at least two distinct pathways contribute to the fragmentation: one involves the budding of COP I-coated vesicles from Golgi cisternae, the other is a less well characterised COP I-independent pathway. During telophase, the Golgi fragments reassemble and fuse into a fully functional Golgi stack, using at least two distinct ATPase-mediated fusion pathways