Spatiotemporal Control of Transmembrane Proteins through the Cytoskeleton: An Evolving Story

The dynamics and interactions between the molecular constituents of life underpin the functioning of biological systems. At the eukaryotic cell level, the spatial partitioning of biochemical and cell biological processes takes place at the cell membrane, and in various membrane-bound organelles embedded in the cytosol. Approximately 50% of the proteins encoded in the genome spend at least some of their time in these membrane-rich areas (1). Consequently, the study of trans-membrane protein motional dynamics has fascinated biophysicists for nearly half a century (2).