ERGIC
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vesicular-tubular cluster:
An intermediate compartment mediating trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex. COPII vesicles that have budded from exit sites in the endoplasmic reticulum lose their coats and fuse to form the vesicular-tubular cluster (VTC). Retrieval (or retrograde) transport in COPI vesicles returns many of the lost ER resident proteins back to the endoplasmic reticulum. Forward (or anterograde) moves the VTC contents to the cis-Golgi network, the receiving face of the Golgi complex. This process is thought to occur by one of two process. In in one form of anterograde transport known as cisternal maturation the VTC simply matures into the cis-Golgi network. In another COPI vesicular transport carries VTC material to the recieving face of the Golgi apparatus. Evidence exists for both processes, so it is likely that both may occur simultaneously in cells.