Traffic COPs: rules of detection

EMBO J (2013) 32:11, 926–937 doi:; DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2013.41; published online 03 12 2013 Dev Cell (2012) 23: 1255–62 doi:; DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2012.10.017; published online 12 11 2012 How specific cargo recognition by coat proteins is achieved and how this recognition event may regulate vesicle formation are still under investigation. In two recent papers by the Owen and Goldberg labs, the binding mode of dilysine motifs to the coatomer of the COPI coat has been analysed. Collectively, their findings suggest that the dilysine motif containing cargo proteins may stabilize coat complexes on membranes and enhance the chance for coat polymerization and vesicle budding.