Model for vesicle budding in crenarchaea. Archaeal homologues of eukaryote ESCRT-III subunits are in equilibrium between a freely diffusible state in the cytoplasm and a membrane-bound state (1). If the equilibrium shifts towards the membrane associated state a heterocomplex (2) of different ESCRT-III subunits is formed leading to the creation of an outwardly growing bud that is covered by S-layer protein. Recruitment of the last group of ECRT-III subunits (3) creates the “neck” through which the bud is attached to the cytoplasmic membrane just before the membrane vesicle is pinched off and released into the medium.
