Evolution of the unfolded protein response

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a network of signaling pathways that responds to stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The general output of the UPR is to upregulate genes involved in ER function, thus restoring and/or increasing the capacity of the ER to fold and process proteins. In parallel, many organisms have mechanisms for limiting the load on the ER by attenuating translation or degrading ER-targeted mRNAs. Despite broad conservation of these signaling pathways across eukaryotes, interesting variations demonstrate a variety of mechanisms for managing ER stress. How do early-diverging protozoa respond to stress when they lack traditional transcriptional regulation? What is the role of the ER stress sensor Ire1 in fungal species that are missing its main target? Here I describe how diverse species have optimized the UPR to fit their needs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Functional and structural diversity of endoplasmic reticulum. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.