Stuart A. Kornfeld

We are studying the biochemical and molecular basis for protein trafficking in mammalian cells, focusing on the biogenesis of lysosomes. The targeting of lysosomal enzymes from their site of synthesis in the rough endoplasmic reticulum to their final destination in lysosomes is a multistep process that utilizes a series of recognition signals that must be deciphered by cellular components that mediate the sorting, packaging, and transport of the lysosomal enzymes. The goal of our work is to understand this complex sorting system at the molecular level, including the identification of the various recognition signals, the characterization of the proteins that decipher these signals, and the reconstitution of the transport steps using purified components.