Partitioning of the matrix fraction of the Golgi apparatus during mitosis in animal cells

Can the Golgi form de novo?

Does the Golgi apparatus proliferate by adding new material to a permanent template, or do Golgi structures form de novo by a process of self-organization? Recent work suggests that the Golgi is capable of forming de novo.

Inheriting a structural scaffold for Golgi biosynthesis

In animal cells, the Golgi complex undergoes reversible disassembly during mitosis. The disassembly/reassembly process has been intensively studied in order to understand the mechanisms that govern organelle assembly and inheritance during cell division. A long-standing controversy in the field has been whether formation of Golgi structure is template-mediated or self-organizes from components of the endoplasmic reticulum. A recent study1 however, has demonstrated that a subset of proteins that form a putative Golgi matrix can be inherited during cell division in the absence of membrane input from the endoplasmic reticulum. The outcome of this study suggests that a templating mechanism for the formation of Golgi structure may exist. This study has important implications for understanding mechanisms that govern Golgi biogenesis.