Single proteins might have dual but related functions in intracellular and extracellular microenvironments

Abstract

Maintenance of organ homeostasis and control of appropriate responses to environmental alterations requires the coordination of cellular functions and tissue organization. This coordination could be achieved by proteins that can have distinct but linked functions on both sides of the plasma membrane. The maintenance of organ homeostasis and the control of an appropriate response to environmental alterations require the intimate coordination of cellular functions and tissue organization. An important component of this coordination could be provided by proteins that can have distinct but linked functions on both sides of the plasma membrane. We present a model that proposes that unconventional secretion provides a mechanism through which single proteins can integrate complex tissue functions.