The formation of the Golgi ribbon takes
place in protists and metazoans. It is especially
prominent in mammalian cells during interphase. Golgi
ribbon formation represents an orchestrated sequence of
events based not only on different molecular
mechanisms but also on discrete cellular functions.
Mechanisms responsible for the generation of the Golgi
ribbon include Golgi centralization, cis- and transGolgins,
molecular machines responsible for the fusion
of cargo domains with cisternal rims, and several other
less studied factors. Here, we substantiate the hypothesis
that cis-Golgins function mostly not as tethering factors,
but are responsible for the attachment of the cis-most
cisternae to the medial Golgi stacks, whereas transGolgins
are responsible for the attachment of the transmost
cisterna to the medial Golgi stacks. This hypothesis
is tested analyzing predictions derived from it and
related to molecular mechanisms responsible for mitotic
fragmentation of Golgi stacks