# RUSHing back: Kinetic analysis of adaptor protein complex-1 (AP-1)–mediated retrograde traffic

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how the AP-1 protein complex helps move cargo back to the Golgi, resolving a long-standing debate about its role in cellular transport.

## Contribution

The study provides clear evidence that AP-1 mediates retrograde traffic to the Golgi, resolving a controversy in the field.

## Key findings

- AP-1 facilitates the recycling of cargo to the Golgi.
- The study clarifies the directionality of AP-1-mediated transport.
- Newly synthesized and recycled cargo are both monitored in clathrin-coated vesicles.

## Abstract

Mara Duncan discusses work from Robinson and colleagues that monitors the entry of newly synthesized and recycled cargo into clathrin-coated vesicles associated with the adaptor protein complex-1.

Numerous biomedically important cargoes depend on adaptor protein complex-1 (AP-1) for their localization. However, controversy surrounds whether AP-1 mediates traffic from or to the Golgi. Robinson et al. (https://www.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202310071) present compelling evidence that AP-1 mediates recycling to the Golgi.