The length of the flexible SNAREpin juxtamembrane region is a critical determinant of SNARE-dependent fusion Journal Article


Authors: McNew, J. A.; Weber, T.; Engelman, D. M.; Söllner, T. H.; Rothman, J. E.
Article Title: The length of the flexible SNAREpin juxtamembrane region is a critical determinant of SNARE-dependent fusion
Abstract: The topology of a SNARE complex bridging two docked vesicles could act as a mechanical couple to do work on the lipid bilayer resulting in fusion. To test this, we prepared a series of modified SNARE proteins and determined their effects on SNARE-dependent membrane fusion. When two helix-breaking proline residues are introduced into the juxtamembrane region of VAMP, there is little or no effect on fusion, and the same change in syntaxin 1A only reduced the extent and rate of fusion by half. The insertion of a flexible linker between the transmembrane domain and the conserved coiled-coil domain only moderately affected fusion; however, fusion efficiency systematically decreased with increasing length of the linker. Together, these results rule out a requirement for helical continuity and suggest that distance is a critical factor for membrane fusion.
Keywords: nerve tissue proteins; membrane proteins; structure activity relation; amino acid sequence; molecular sequence data; carrier proteins; recombinant proteins; pliability; mutagenesis, site-directed; structure analysis; protein structure, secondary; antigens, surface; proline; vesicular transport proteins; receptor protein; membrane fusion; membrane structure; syntaxin; protein quaternary structure; syntaxin 1; r-snare proteins; snare proteins; proline derivative; synaptosomal-associated protein 25; article
Journal Title: Molecular Cell
Volume: 4
Issue: 3
ISSN: 1097-2765
Publisher: Cell Press  
Date Published: 1999-09-01
Start Page: 415
End Page: 421
Language: English
DOI: 10.1016/s1097-2765(00)80343-3
PUBMED: 10518222
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 16 August 2016 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Thomas H Sollner
    65 Sollner
  2. James E Rothman
    120 Rothman
  3. Thomas Weber
    14 Weber
  4. James A Mcnew
    21 McNew