What route is used to export proteins from the cell?

Extracellular proteins are exported from the cell using the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi-dependent secretory pathway, which involves the rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus (cis face and trans face), and the plasma membrane.

Proteins get folded into their correct shapes in the endoplasmic reticulum. Most of these matured proteins are transported a short distance from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the cis face of Golgi apparatus for further processing. These proteins may undergo additional modifications before going on to their final destinations which may include lysosomes, the plasma membrane or the cell exterior. Some proteins are required for certain processes within the Golgi complex itself. Others, which are required for processes in the extracellular space, move through the Golgi complex in an orderly manner using a defined path from the cis face to the trans face, from there they are exported out of the cell.