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Tilsner J, Nicolas W, Rosado A, Bayer EM. Staying Tight: Plasmodesmal Membrane Contact Sites and the Control of Cell-to-Cell Connectivity in Plants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 67:337-64. [PMID: 26905652 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-043015-111840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Multicellularity differs in plants and animals in that the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and endomembrane of plants are connected between cells through plasmodesmal pores. Plasmodesmata (PDs) are essential for plant life and serve as conduits for the transport of proteins, small RNAs, hormones, and metabolites during developmental and defense signaling. They are also the only pathways available for viruses to spread within plant hosts. The membrane organization of PDs is unique, characterized by the close apposition of the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane and spoke-like filamentous structures linking the two membranes, which define PDs as membrane contact sites (MCSs). This specialized membrane arrangement is likely critical for PD function. Here, we review how PDs govern developmental and defensive signaling in plants, compare them with other types of MCSs, and discuss in detail the potential functional significance of the MCS nature of PDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Tilsner
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, United Kingdom;
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, United Kingdom
| | - William Nicolas
- Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis, UMR5200 CNRS, University of Bordeaux, 33883 Villenave d'Ornon Cedex, France; ,
| | - Abel Rosado
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada;
| | - Emmanuelle M Bayer
- Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis, UMR5200 CNRS, University of Bordeaux, 33883 Villenave d'Ornon Cedex, France; ,
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102
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Membrane Lipids in Presynaptic Function and Disease. Neuron 2016; 90:11-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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103
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Katira S, Mandadapu KK, Vaikuntanathan S, Smit B, Chandler D. Pre-transition effects mediate forces of assembly between transmembrane proteins. eLife 2016; 5:e13150. [PMID: 26910009 PMCID: PMC4841784 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a mechanism for a generic, powerful force of assembly and mobility for transmembrane proteins in lipid bilayers. This force is a pre-transition (or pre-melting) effect for the first-order transition between ordered and disordered phases in the membrane. Using large-scale molecular simulation, we show that a protein with hydrophobic thickness equal to that of the disordered phase embedded in an ordered bilayer stabilizes a microscopic order–disorder interface. The stiffness of that interface is finite. When two such proteins approach each other, they assemble because assembly reduces the net interfacial energy. Analogous to the hydrophobic effect, we refer to this phenomenon as the 'orderphobic effect'. The effect is mediated by proximity to the order–disorder phase transition and the size and hydrophobic mismatch of the protein. The strength and range of forces arising from this effect are significantly larger than those that could arise from membrane elasticity for the membranes considered. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13150.001 The membrane that surrounds cells provides a selective barrier that allows some molecules through, but blocks the path of others. A cell’s membrane is made up of two layers of molecules with oily tails, and is therefore known as a bilayer. Many proteins are dotted within and on the inner and outer surfaces of the bilayer: some act as channels that control what goes in and out of the cell, while others protrude outside the cell so that they can sense changes in the environment. Membrane proteins can move and interact within the bilayer, and various models have emerged to try to explain this dynamic system. These models are based on the membrane having some fluidity but also having regions where there is more structure, and typically describe the proteins as ordered clusters floating in an otherwise disordered fluid membrane. However, many researchers now think some proteins that pass through both layers of the bilayer (i.e., transmembrane proteins) make membranes more ordered, with a possibly gel-like state. However, it is not clear how transmembrane proteins can move and assemble together within such a relatively rigid membrane. To investigate this, Katira, Mandadapu, Vaikuntanathan et al. carried out computer simulations using a model of a simple bilayer membrane. This membrane can exist in an ordered state, where the oily tails are neatly aligned, or a disordered state, where they are irregularly packed. Virtual ‘heating’ of the membrane caused it to shift from an ordered to a disordered state. When a simple transmembrane protein favoring the disordered state was inserted into the ordered state of the modeled membrane, disordered regions formed locally around the protein and the protein was able to diffuse within the membrane. Modeling what would happen if two transmembrane proteins approached each other revealed that a consequence of the order–disorder transition is a strong attractive force that assembles the proteins together. Katira, Mandadapu, Vaikuntanathan et al. named this new phenomenon the 'orderphobic effect'. The forces arising from this effect were much greater than those currently believed to contribute to the assembly of membrane protein complexes, such as those generated by the elasticity of the membrane. This means that the orderphobic effect may be responsible for generating the protein clusters commonly seen in cell membranes. Future work should next explore the opposite effect, where proteins favoring the ordered state are inserted into the disordered state of a membrane. This is expected to cause clustering of such proteins and thus large ordered regions in an otherwise disordered membrane. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13150.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Shachi Katira
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Kranthi K Mandadapu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | | | - Berend Smit
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Laboratory of Molecular Simulation, Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland
| | - David Chandler
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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104
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Milovanovic D, Platen M, Junius M, Diederichsen U, Schaap IAT, Honigmann A, Jahn R, van den Bogaart G. Calcium Promotes the Formation of Syntaxin 1 Mesoscale Domains through Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:7868-76. [PMID: 26884341 PMCID: PMC4824995 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.716225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) is a minor component of total plasma membrane lipids, but it has a substantial role in the regulation of many cellular functions, including exo- and endocytosis. Recently, it was shown that PI(4,5)P2and syntaxin 1, a SNARE protein that catalyzes regulated exocytosis, form domains in the plasma membrane that constitute recognition sites for vesicle docking. Also, calcium was shown to promote syntaxin 1 clustering in the plasma membrane, but the molecular mechanism was unknown. Here, using a combination of superresolution stimulated emission depletion microscopy, FRET, and atomic force microscopy, we show that Ca(2+)acts as a charge bridge that specifically and reversibly connects multiple syntaxin 1/PI(4,5)P2complexes into larger mesoscale domains. This transient reorganization of the plasma membrane by physiological Ca(2+)concentrations is likely to be important for Ca(2+)-regulated secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragomir Milovanovic
- From the Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany, the Department of Neuroscience, Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, and Repair, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
| | - Mitja Platen
- the Third Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics
| | - Meike Junius
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulf Diederichsen
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Iwan A T Schaap
- the Third Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
| | - Alf Honigmann
- the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany, and
| | - Reinhard Jahn
- From the Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany,
| | - Geert van den Bogaart
- From the Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany, the Department of Tumor Immunology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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105
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Strisovsky K. Why cells need intramembrane proteases - a mechanistic perspective. FEBS J 2016; 283:1837-45. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kvido Strisovsky
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Prague Czech Republic
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106
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Abstract
The local structure and composition of the outer membrane of an animal cell are important factors in the control of many membrane processes and mechanisms. These include signaling, sorting, and exo- and endocytic processes that are occurring all the time in a living cell. Paradoxically, not only are the local structure and composition of the membrane matters of much debate and discussion, the mechanisms that govern its genesis remain highly controversial. Here, we discuss a swathe of new technological advances that may be applied to understand the local structure and composition of the membrane of a living cell from the molecular scale to the scale of the whole membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S van Zanten
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Satyajit Mayor
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
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107
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Destainville N, Schmidt TH, Lang T. Where Biology Meets Physics--A Converging View on Membrane Microdomain Dynamics. CURRENT TOPICS IN MEMBRANES 2015; 77:27-65. [PMID: 26781829 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctm.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
For several decades, the phenomenon of membrane component segregation into microdomains has been a well-known and highly debated subject, and varying concepts including the raft hypothesis, the fence-and-picket model, hydrophobic-mismatch, and specific protein-protein interactions have been offered as explanations. Here, we review the level of insight into the molecular architecture of membrane domains one is capable of obtaining through biological experimentation. Using SNARE proteins as a paradigm, comprehensive data suggest that several dozens of molecules crowd together into almost circular spots smaller than 100 nm. Such clusters are highly dynamical as they constantly capture and lose molecules. The organization has a strong influence on the functional availability of proteins and likely provides a molecular scaffold for more complex protein networks. Despite this high level of insight, fundamental open questions remain, applying not only to SNARE protein domains but more generally to all types of membrane domains. In this context, we explain the view of physical models and how they are beneficial in advancing our concept of micropatterning. While biological models generally remain qualitative and descriptive, physics aims towards making them quantitative and providing reproducible numbers, in order to discriminate between different mechanisms which have been proposed to account for experimental observations. Despite the fundamental differences in biological and physical approaches as far as cell membrane microdomains are concerned, we are able to show that convergence on common points of views is in reach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Destainville
- Laboratoire de Physique Theorique (IRSAMC), Universite Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier, UPS/CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas H Schmidt
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Life & Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thorsten Lang
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Life & Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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108
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Kumar A, Baycin-Hizal D, Zhang Y, Bowen MA, Betenbaugh MJ. Cellular traffic cops: the interplay between lipids and proteins regulates vesicular formation, trafficking, and signaling in mammalian cells. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2015; 36:215-21. [PMID: 26540512 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Protein secretion and vesicular trafficking in mammalian cells rely on several key lipids including sphingolipids, phospholipids, and neutral lipids crucial to protein processing and other intracellular events. Proteins interact with these lipids to alter the shape of lipid bilayer, thereby playing a pivotal role in cellular sorting. Although some efforts have elucidated the role of these components, extensive studies are needed to further decipher the protein-lipid interactions along with the effect of membrane curvature and rafts in sorting of proteins. The regulatory role of proteins in subcellular localization and metabolism of lipids also needs to be described. Recent studies on the role of lipid-protein interactions in modulating membrane shape, signal transduction, and vesicular trafficking are presented in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Deniz Baycin-Hizal
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Michael A Bowen
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
| | - Michael J Betenbaugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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109
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Pluhackova K, Böckmann RA. Biomembranes in atomistic and coarse-grained simulations. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2015. [PMID: 26194872 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/27/32/323103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The architecture of biological membranes is tightly coupled to the localization, organization, and function of membrane proteins. The organelle-specific distribution of lipids allows for the formation of functional microdomains (also called rafts) that facilitate the segregation and aggregation of membrane proteins and thus shape their function. Molecular dynamics simulations enable to directly access the formation, structure, and dynamics of membrane microdomains at the molecular scale and the specific interactions among lipids and proteins on timescales from picoseconds to microseconds. This review focuses on the latest developments of biomembrane force fields for both atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and the different levels of coarsening of biomolecular structures. It also briefly introduces scale-bridging methods applicable to biomembrane studies, and highlights selected recent applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Pluhackova
- Computational Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstr. 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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110
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Yaffe Y, Hugger I, Yassaf IN, Shepshelovitch J, Sklan EH, Elkabetz Y, Yeheskel A, Pasmanik-Chor M, Benzing C, Macmillan A, Gaus K, Eshed-Eisenbach Y, Peles E, Hirschberg K. The myelin proteolipid plasmolipin forms oligomers and induces liquid-ordered membranes in the Golgi complex. J Cell Sci 2015; 128:2293-302. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.166249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Myelin comprises a compactly stacked massive surface area of protein-poor thick membrane that insulates axons to allow fast signal propagation. Increasing levels of the myelin protein plasmolipin (PLLP) were correlated with post-natal myelination; however, its function is unknown. Here, the intracellular localization and dynamics of PLLP were characterized in primary glial and cultured cells using fluorescently labeled PLLP and antibodies against PLLP. PLLP localized to and recycled between the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex. In the Golgi complex, PLLP forms oligomers based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses. PLLP oligomers blocked Golgi to plasma membrane transport of the secretory protein vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSVG), but not of a VSVG mutant with an elongated transmembrane domain. Laurdan staining analysis showed that this block is associated with PLLP-induced proliferation of liquid-ordered membranes. These findings show the capacity of PLLP to assemble potential myelin membrane precursor domains at the Golgi complex through its oligomerization and ability to attract liquid-ordered lipids. These data support a model in which PLLP functions in myelin biogenesis through organization of myelin liquid-ordered membranes in the Golgi complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yakey Yaffe
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ilan Hugger
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Inbar Nevo Yassaf
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | | | - Ella H. Sklan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yechiel Elkabetz
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Adva Yeheskel
- Bioinformatics Unit, G.S.W. Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Metsada Pasmanik-Chor
- Bioinformatics Unit, G.S.W. Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Carola Benzing
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, School of Medical Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Centre for Vascular Research University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 2033
| | - Alexander Macmillan
- Biomedical Imaging Facility, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 2033
| | - Katharina Gaus
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, School of Medical Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Centre for Vascular Research University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 2033
| | - Yael Eshed-Eisenbach
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100
| | - Elior Peles
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100
| | - Koret Hirschberg
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
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111
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Pieren M, Desfougères Y, Michaillat L, Schmidt A, Mayer A. Vacuolar SNARE protein transmembrane domains serve as nonspecific membrane anchors with unequal roles in lipid mixing. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:12821-32. [PMID: 25817997 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.647776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane fusion is induced by SNARE complexes that are anchored in both fusion partners. SNAREs zipper up from the N to C terminus bringing the two membranes into close apposition. Their transmembrane domains (TMDs) might be mere anchoring devices, deforming bilayers by mechanical force. Structural studies suggested that TMDs might also perturb lipid structure by undergoing conformational transitions or by zipping up into the bilayer. Here, we tested this latter hypothesis, which predicts that the activity of SNAREs should depend on the primary sequence of their TMDs. We replaced the TMDs of all vacuolar SNAREs (Nyv1, Vam3, and Vti1) by a lipid anchor, by a TMD from a protein unrelated to the membrane fusion machinery, or by artificial leucine-valine sequences. Individual exchange of the native SNARE TMDs against an unrelated transmembrane anchor or an artificial leucine-valine sequence yielded normal fusion activities. Fusion activity was also preserved upon pairwise exchange of the TMDs against unrelated peptides, which eliminates the possibility for specific TMD-TMD interactions. Thus, a specific primary sequence or zippering beyond the SNARE domains is not a prerequisite for fusion. Lipid-anchored Vti1 was fully active, and lipid-anchored Nyv1 permitted the reaction to proceed up to hemifusion, and lipid-anchored Vam3 interfered already before hemifusion. The unequal contribution of proteinaceous TMDs on Vam3 and Nyv1 suggests that Q- and R-SNAREs might make different contributions to the hemifusion intermediate and the opening of the fusion pore. Furthermore, our data support the view that SNARE TMDs serve as nonspecific membrane anchors in vacuole fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Pieren
- From the Département de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Yann Desfougères
- From the Département de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Lydie Michaillat
- From the Département de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Schmidt
- From the Département de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Mayer
- From the Département de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
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112
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Milovanovic D, Jahn R. Organization and dynamics of SNARE proteins in the presynaptic membrane. Front Physiol 2015; 6:89. [PMID: 25852575 PMCID: PMC4365744 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Our view of the lateral organization of lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane has evolved substantially in the last few decades. It is widely accepted that many, if not all, plasma membrane proteins and lipids are organized in specific domains. These domains vary widely in size, composition, and stability, and they represent platforms governing diverse cell functions. The presynaptic plasma membrane is a well-studied example of a membrane which undergoes rearrangements, especially during exo- and endocytosis. Many proteins and lipids involved in presynaptic function are known, and major efforts have been made to understand their spatial organization and dynamics. Here, we focus on the mechanisms underlying the organization of SNAREs, the key proteins of the fusion machinery, in distinct domains, and we discuss the functional significance of these clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragomir Milovanovic
- Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Jahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen, Germany
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