vesicleengaged
Vesicleengaged is a term used in cell biology to denote a vesicle that is actively engaged with a target membrane as part of the vesicular trafficking pathway. The term is often used to describe a functional state between docking and fusion, signaling that the vesicle has formed the molecular contacts necessary for cargo transfer.
Engagement involves a coordinated set of proteins and structures. Rab GTPases and tethering factors help bring
Context and usage vary. Vesicleengaged can apply to exocytic and endocytic routes, including synaptic vesicle cycling,
Relationship to related concepts. It overlaps with docked and primed vesicles but remains distinct in highlighting
See also: vesicle trafficking, SNARE, Rab, docking, priming, exocytosis, endocytosis.