SEC61A: Proteins and Enzymes

SEC61A belongs to the SECY/SEC61 alpha family. It has similarity to a mouse protein which suggests a role in the insertion of secretory and membrane polypeptides into the endoplasmic reticulum.The SEC61 complex is responsible for translocation of proteins across the rough endoplasmic reticulum membrane. SEC61 is composed of three subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma; that associate to form a heterotrimer. Multiple heterotrimers associate forming the ER translocon. SEC61 alpha is a polytopic protein that has ten membrane-spanning loops. SEC61 has been found to be tightly associated with membrane bound ribosomes, either directly or through adaptor proteins, and is required for assembly of membrane and secretory proteins.