Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A small GTP-binding protein dissociates from synaptic vesicles during exocytosis

Abstract

LOW-molecular-weight GTP-binding proteins are strong candidates for regulators of membrane traffic1–3. In yeast, mutations in the sec4 or ypt1 genes encoding small GTP-binding proteins inhibit constitutive membrane flow at the plasma membrane or Golgi complex, respectively4–6. It has been suggested that membrane fusion–fission events are regulated by cycling of small GTP-binding proteins between a membrane-bound and free state7, but although most of these small proteins are found in both soluble and tightly membrane-bound forms, there is no direct evidence to support such cycling. In rat brain a small GTP-binding protein, rab3 A, is exclusively associated with synaptic vesicles, the secretory organelles of nerve terminals8,9. Here we use isolated nerve terminals to study the fate of rab3A during synaptic vesicle exocytosis. We find that rab3A dissociates quantitatively from the vesicle membrane after Ca2+-dependent exocytosis and that this dissociation is partially reversible during recovery after stimulation. These results are direct evidence for an association–dissociation cycle of a small GTP-binding protein during traffic of its host membrane.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bourne, H. R. Cell 53, 669–671 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Balch, W. E. J. biol. Chem. 264, 16965–16968 (1989).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hall, A. Science 249, 635–640 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Salminen, A. & Novick, P. J. Cell 49, 527–538 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Segev, N., Mulholland, J. & Botstein, D. Cell 52, 915–924 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Schmitt, H. D., Puzicha, M. & Gallwitz, D. Cell 53, 635–647 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Walworth, N. C., Goud, B., Kabcenell, A. K. & Novick, P. EMBO J. 8, 1685–1693 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Fischer von Mollard, G. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 1988–1992 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mizoguchi, A. et al. J. biol. Chem. 265, 11872–11879 (1990).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kelly, R. B. Neuron 1, 431–438 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. De Camilli, P. & Jahn, R. A. Rev. Physiol. 52, 625–645 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Nicholls, D. G. & Sihra, T. S. Nature 321, 772–773 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nicholls, D. G., Sihra, T. S. & Sanchez-Prieto, J. J. Neurochem. 49, 50–57 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Jahn, R., Schiebler, W., Ouimet, C. & Greengard, P. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 4137–4141 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Wiedenmann, B. & Franke, W. W. Cell 41, 1017–1028 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Heuser, J. E. & Reese, T. S. J. Cell Biol. 57, 315–344 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Sasaki, T. et al. J. biol. Chem. 265, 2333–2337 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Araki, S., Kikuchi, A., Hata, Y., Isomura, M. & Takai, Y. J. biol. Chem. 265, 13007–13015 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Nicholls, D. G. Biochem. J. 170, 511–522 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. McMahon, H. T. & Nicholls, D. G. J. Neurochem. (in the press).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

von Mollard, G., Südhof, T. & Jahn, R. A small GTP-binding protein dissociates from synaptic vesicles during exocytosis. Nature 349, 79–81 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349079a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/349079a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing