PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vinson, Valda K.
TI  - Facilitating Fusion and Release
AID  - 10.1126/scisignal.2003049
DP  - 2012 Mar 20
TA  - Science Signaling
PG  - ec87--ec87
VI  - 5
IP  - 216
4099  - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/5/216/ec87.short
4100  - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/5/216/ec87.full
SO  - Sci. Signal.2012 Mar 20; 5
AB  - For neurotransmitters to be released from a neuron, a synaptic vesicle must fuse with the plasma membrane and form a fusion pore. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes are the core protein machinery involved in fusion; however, there has been debate regarding the mechanism. Whereas in vitro studies have found that a single SNARE can cause fusion of two bilayers, in vivo studies have shown that a minimum of three SNAREs are required for neurotransmitter release. The apparently contradictory results are explained by Shi et al., who monitored fusion of vesicles to membrane nanodiscs. While a single SNARE complex was sufficient to fuse bilayers, a minimum of three SNARE complexes were required to open a pore large enough for neurotransmitter release. L. Shi, Q.-T. Shen, A. Kiel, J. Wang, H.-W. Wang, T. J. Melia, J. E. Rothman, F. Pincet, SNARE proteins: One to fuse and three to keep the nascent fusion pore open. Science 335, 1355–1359 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]