Mechanisms for the Incorporation of Proteins into the Plasma Membrane

There is considerable interest in understanding bio-genetic mechanisms which ensure that newly synthe-sized proteins are incorporated into cellular mem-branes with the specificity of distribution and disposition with respect o the phospholipid bilayer necessary for their function. The biogenesis of plasma membranes i of particular interest in this regard be-cause plasma-membrane proteins play an important role in regulating the interactions of cells with their environment and mediate the integration of specific cells into tissues and organs. In many cell types the plasma membrane r presents a complex organelle that exhibits differentiated structures such as microviUi and junctional complexes and in which distinct functional domains may be frequently recognized. It is clear that