Review abstract
Focus on Membrane Fusion
- Focus issue:
- Julember 2008 Volume 15, No 7
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 15, 658 - 664 (2008)
Published online: 3 July 2008 | doi:10.1038/nsmb.1451
Membrane fusion
William Wickner1 & Randy Schekman2
Abstract
Subcellular compartmentalization, cell growth, hormone secretion and neurotransmission require rapid, targeted, and regulated membrane fusion. Fusion entails extensive lipid rearrangements by two apposed (docked) membrane vesicles, joining their membrane proteins and lipids and mixing their luminal contents without lysis. Fusion of membranes in the secretory pathway involves Rab GTPases; their bound 'effector' proteins, which mediate downstream steps; SNARE proteins, which can 'snare' each other, in cis (bound to one membrane) or in trans (anchored to apposed membranes); and SNARE-associated proteins (SM proteins; NSF or Sec18p; SNAP or Sec17p; and others) cooperating with specific lipids to catalyze fusion. In contrast, mitochondrial and cell-cell fusion events are regulated by and use distinct catalysts.
- Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, 7200 Vail Building, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3844, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 626 Barker Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3202, USA.
Correspondence to: William Wickner1 e-mail: bill.wickner@dartmouth.edu
Correspondence to: Randy Schekman2 e-mail: schekman@berkeley.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Cell biology A score for membrane fusionNature News and Views (25 Jun 2009)
Fusion needs more than SNAREsNature News and Views (01 Feb 2001)
See all 6 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Reversible, cooperative reactions of yeast vacuole dockingThe EMBO Journal Article (15 Nov 2006)
Reconstituted membrane fusion requires regulatory lipids, SNAREs and synergistic SNARE chaperonesThe EMBO Journal Article (06 Aug 2008)
See all 67 matches for Research
