SEC61 Gamma (SEC61g)

SEC61G is a subunit of the heteromeric SEC61 complex, which also contains alpha (SEC61A1) and beta (SEC61B) subunits. The SEC61 complex forms the core of the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER) translocon, a transmembrane channel for the translocation of proteins across the ER membrane.

The Sec61 complex distributed to both the ER and the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment, but not to the trans-Golgi network. Endogenous Sec61b and Sec61g showed the same distribution. Another translocon component, the glycoprotein Tram was also present in post-ER compartments, suggesting that the core components of the mammalian ER translocon are not permanently resident in the ER, but rather they are maintained in the ER by a specific retrieval mechanism.