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Trus M, Atlas D. Non-ionotropic voltage-gated calcium channel signaling. Channels (Austin) 2024; 18:2341077. [PMID: 38601983 PMCID: PMC11017947 DOI: 10.1080/19336950.2024.2341077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) are the major conduits for calcium ions (Ca2+) within excitable cells. Recent studies have highlighted the non-ionotropic functionality of VGCCs, revealing their capacity to activate intracellular pathways independently of ion flow. This non-ionotropic signaling mode plays a pivotal role in excitation-coupling processes, including gene transcription through excitation-transcription (ET), synaptic transmission via excitation-secretion (ES), and cardiac contraction through excitation-contraction (EC). However, it is noteworthy that these excitation-coupling processes require extracellular calcium (Ca2+) and Ca2+ occupancy of the channel ion pore. Analogous to the "non-canonical" characterization of the non-ionotropic signaling exhibited by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA), which requires extracellular Ca2+ without the influx of ions, VGCC activation requires depolarization-triggered conformational change(s) concomitant with Ca2+ binding to the open channel. Here, we discuss the contributions of VGCCs to ES, ET, and EC coupling as Ca2+ binding macromolecules that transduces external stimuli to intracellular input prior to elevating intracellular Ca2+. We emphasize the recognition of calcium ion occupancy within the open ion-pore and its contribution to the excitation coupling processes that precede the influx of calcium. The non-ionotropic activation of VGCCs, triggered by the upstroke of an action potential, provides a conceptual framework to elucidate the mechanistic aspects underlying the microseconds nature of synaptic transmission, cardiac contractility, and the rapid induction of first-wave genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Trus
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Daphne Atlas
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Griffiths G, Brügger B, Freund C. Lipid switches in the immunological synapse. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107428. [PMID: 38823638 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Adaptive immune responses comprise the activation of T cells by peptide antigens that are presented by proteins of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell. As a consequence of the T cell receptor interacting productively with a certain peptide-MHC complex, a specialized cell-cell junction known as the immunological synapse forms and is accompanied by changes in the spatiotemporal patterning and function of intracellular signaling molecules. Key modifications occurring at the cytoplasmic leaflet of the plasma and internal membranes in activated T cells comprise lipid switches that affect the binding and distribution of proteins within or near the lipid bilayer. Here, we describe two major classes of lipid switches that act at this critical water/membrane interface. Phosphoinositides are derived from phosphatidylinositol, an amphiphilic molecule that contains two fatty acid chains and a phosphate group that bridges the glycerol backbone to the carbohydrate inositol. The inositol ring can be variably (de-)phosphorylated by dedicated kinases and phosphatases, thereby creating phosphoinositide signatures that define the composition and properties of signaling molecules, molecular complexes, or whole organelles. Palmitoylation refers to the reversible attachment of the fatty acid palmitate to a substrate protein's cysteine residue. DHHC enzymes, named after the four conserved amino acids in their active site, catalyze this post-translational modification and thereby change the distribution of proteins at, between, and within membranes. T cells utilize these two types of molecular switches to adjust their properties to an activation process that requires changes in motility, transport, secretion, and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Britta Brügger
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Freund
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Rizo J, Sari L, Jaczynska K, Rosenmund C, Lin MM. Molecular mechanism underlying SNARE-mediated membrane fusion enlightened by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321447121. [PMID: 38593076 PMCID: PMC11032479 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321447121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The SNAP receptor (SNARE) proteins syntaxin-1, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin mediate neurotransmitter release by forming tight SNARE complexes that fuse synaptic vesicles with the plasma membranes in microseconds. Membrane fusion is generally explained by the action of proteins on macroscopic membrane properties such as curvature, elastic modulus, and tension, and a widespread model envisions that the SNARE motifs, juxtamembrane linkers, and C-terminal transmembrane regions of synaptobrevin and syntaxin-1 form continuous helices that act mechanically as semirigid rods, squeezing the membranes together as they assemble ("zipper") from the N to the C termini. However, the mechanism underlying fast SNARE-induced membrane fusion remains unknown. We have used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate this mechanism. Our results need to be interpreted with caution because of the limited number and length of the simulations, but they suggest a model of membrane fusion that has a natural physicochemical basis, emphasizes local molecular events over general membrane properties, and explains extensive experimental data. In this model, the central event that initiates fast (microsecond scale) membrane fusion occurs when the SNARE helices zipper into the juxtamembrane linkers which, together with the adjacent transmembrane regions, promote encounters of acyl chains from both bilayers at the polar interface. The resulting hydrophobic nucleus rapidly expands into stalk-like structures that gradually progress to form a fusion pore, aided by the SNARE transmembrane regions and without clearly discernible intermediates. The propensity of polyunsaturated lipids to participate in encounters that initiate fusion suggests that these lipids may be important for the high speed of neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Rizo
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Levent Sari
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Klaudia Jaczynska
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Christian Rosenmund
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin10117, Germany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Berlin10117, Germany
| | - Milo M. Lin
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
- Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
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Salazar Lázaro A, Trimbuch T, Vardar G, Rosenmund C. The stability of the primed pool of synaptic vesicles and the clamping of spontaneous neurotransmitter release rely on the integrity of the C-terminal half of the SNARE domain of syntaxin-1A. eLife 2024; 12:RP90775. [PMID: 38512129 PMCID: PMC10957171 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The SNARE proteins are central in membrane fusion and, at the synapse, neurotransmitter release. However, their involvement in the dual regulation of the synchronous release while maintaining a pool of readily releasable vesicles remains unclear. Using a chimeric approach, we performed a systematic analysis of the SNARE domain of STX1A by exchanging the whole SNARE domain or its N- or C-terminus subdomains with those of STX2. We expressed these chimeric constructs in STX1-null hippocampal mouse neurons. Exchanging the C-terminal half of STX1's SNARE domain with that of STX2 resulted in a reduced RRP accompanied by an increased release rate, while inserting the C-terminal half of STX1's SNARE domain into STX2 leads to an enhanced priming and decreased release rate. Additionally, we found that the mechanisms for clamping spontaneous, but not for Ca2+-evoked release, are particularly susceptible to changes in specific residues on the outer surface of the C-terminus of the SNARE domain of STX1A. Particularly, mutations of D231 and R232 affected the fusogenicity of the vesicles. We propose that the C-terminal half of the SNARE domain of STX1A plays a crucial role in the stabilization of the RRP as well as in the clamping of spontaneous synaptic vesicle fusion through the regulation of the energetic landscape for fusion, while it also plays a covert role in the speed and efficacy of Ca2+-evoked release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Salazar Lázaro
- Department of Neurophysiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
| | - Thorsten Trimbuch
- Department of Neurophysiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
| | - Gülçin Vardar
- Department of Neurophysiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
| | - Christian Rosenmund
- Department of Neurophysiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
- NeuroCure Excellence ClusterBerlinGermany
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Starr CR, Zhylkibayev A, Mobley JA, Gorbatyuk MS. Proteomic analysis of diabetic retinas. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1229089. [PMID: 37693346 PMCID: PMC10486886 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1229089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction As a metabolic disease, diabetes often leads to health complications such as heart failure, nephropathy, neurological disorders, and vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) affects as many as 100 million people worldwide. The mechanism of DR is complex and known to impact both neural and vascular components in the retina. While recent advances in the field have identified major cellular signaling contributing to DR pathogenesis, little has been reported on the protein post-translational modifications (PTM) - known to define protein localization, function, and activity - in the diabetic retina overall. Protein glycosylation is the enzymatic addition of carbohydrates to proteins, which can influence many protein attributes including folding, stability, function, and subcellular localization. O-linked glycosylation is the addition of sugars to an oxygen atom in amino acids with a free oxygen atom in their side chain (i.e., threonine, serine). To date, more than 100 congenital disorders of glycosylation have been described. However, no studies have identified the retinal O-linked glycoproteome in health or disease. With a critical need to expedite the discovery of PTMomics in diabetic retinas, we identified both global changes in protein levels and the retinal O-glycoproteome of control and diabetic mice. Methods We used liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-based proteomics and high throughput screening to identify proteins differentially expressed and proteins differentially O-glycosylated in the retinas of wildtype and diabetic mice. Results Changes in both global expression levels of proteins and proteins differentially glycosylated in the retinas of wild-type and diabetic mice have been identified. We provide evidence that diabetes shifts both global expression levels and O-glycosylation of metabolic and synaptic proteins in the retina. Discussion Here we report changes in the retinal proteome of diabetic mice. We highlight alterations in global proteins involved in metabolic processes, maintaining cellular structure, trafficking, and neuronal processes. We then showed changes in O-linked glycosylation of individual proteins in the diabetic retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Starr
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Assylbek Zhylkibayev
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - James A. Mobley
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Marina S. Gorbatyuk
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
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Wickner W, Lopes K, Song H, Rizo J, Orr A. Efficient fusion requires a membrane anchor on the vacuolar Qa-SNARE. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar88. [PMID: 37314849 PMCID: PMC10398888 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-02-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
As a prelude to fusion, the R-SNARE on one membrane zippers with Qa-, Qb-, and Qc-SNAREs from its apposed fusion partner, forming a four-helical bundle that draws the two membranes together. Because Qa- and Qb-SNAREs are anchored to the same membrane and are adjacent in the 4-SNARE bundle, their two anchors might be redundant. Using the recombinant pure protein catalysts of yeast vacuole fusion, we now report that the specific distribution of transmembrane (TM) anchors on the Q-SNAREs is critical for efficient fusion. A TM anchor on the Qa-SNARE supports rapid fusion even when the other two Q-SNAREs are unanchored, while a TM anchor on the Qb-SNARE is dispensable and is insufficient for rapid fusion as the sole Q-SNARE anchor. This does not depend on which specific TM domain is attached to the Qa-SNARE but rather is due to the Qa-SNARE being anchored per se. The need for Qa-SNARE anchoring is even seen when the homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting protein (HOPS), the physiological catalyst of tethering and SNARE assembly, is replaced by an artificial tether. The need for a Qa TM anchor is thus a fundamental property of vacuolar SNARE zippering-induced fusion and may reflect the need for the Qa juxtamembrane (JxQa) region to be anchored between its SNARE and TM domains. This requirement for Qa-SNARE anchoring and correct JxQa position is bypassed by Sec17/Sec18, exploiting a platform of partially zippered SNAREs. Because Qa is the only synaptic Q-SNARE with a TM anchor, the need for Qa-specific anchoring may reflect a general requirement for SNARE-mediated fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Wickner
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755
| | - Karina Lopes
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755
| | - Hongki Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755
- Insmed, Inc, Lebanon, NH 03756
| | - Josep Rizo
- Departments of Biophysics, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Amy Orr
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755
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Buszka A, Pytyś A, Colvin D, Włodarczyk J, Wójtowicz T. S-Palmitoylation of Synaptic Proteins in Neuronal Plasticity in Normal and Pathological Brains. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030387. [PMID: 36766729 PMCID: PMC9913408 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein lipidation is a common post-translational modification of proteins that plays an important role in human physiology and pathology. One form of protein lipidation, S-palmitoylation, involves the addition of a 16-carbon fatty acid (palmitate) onto proteins. This reversible modification may affect the regulation of protein trafficking and stability in membranes. From multiple recent experimental studies, a picture emerges whereby protein S-palmitoylation is a ubiquitous yet discrete molecular switch enabling the expansion of protein functions and subcellular localization in minutes to hours. Neural tissue is particularly rich in proteins that are regulated by S-palmitoylation. A surge of novel methods of detection of protein lipidation at high resolution allowed us to get better insights into the roles of protein palmitoylation in brain physiology and pathophysiology. In this review, we specifically discuss experimental work devoted to understanding the impact of protein palmitoylation on functional changes in the excitatory and inhibitory synapses associated with neuronal activity and neuronal plasticity. The accumulated evidence also implies a crucial role of S-palmitoylation in learning and memory, and brain disorders associated with impaired cognitive functions.
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8
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Palfreyman MT, West SE, Jorgensen EM. SNARE Proteins in Synaptic Vesicle Fusion. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 33:63-118. [PMID: 37615864 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34229-5_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Neurotransmitters are stored in small membrane-bound vesicles at synapses; a subset of synaptic vesicles is docked at release sites. Fusion of docked vesicles with the plasma membrane releases neurotransmitters. Membrane fusion at synapses, as well as all trafficking steps of the secretory pathway, is mediated by SNARE proteins. The SNAREs are the minimal fusion machinery. They zipper from N-termini to membrane-anchored C-termini to form a 4-helix bundle that forces the apposed membranes to fuse. At synapses, the SNAREs comprise a single helix from syntaxin and synaptobrevin; SNAP-25 contributes the other two helices to complete the bundle. Unc13 mediates synaptic vesicle docking and converts syntaxin into the permissive "open" configuration. The SM protein, Unc18, is required to initiate and proofread SNARE assembly. The SNAREs are then held in a half-zippered state by synaptotagmin and complexin. Calcium removes the synaptotagmin and complexin block, and the SNAREs drive vesicle fusion. After fusion, NSF and alpha-SNAP unwind the SNAREs and thereby recharge the system for further rounds of fusion. In this chapter, we will describe the discovery of the SNAREs, their relevant structural features, models for their function, and the central role of Unc18. In addition, we will touch upon the regulation of SNARE complex formation by Unc13, complexin, and synaptotagmin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark T Palfreyman
- School of Biological Sciences, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sam E West
- School of Biological Sciences, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Erik M Jorgensen
- School of Biological Sciences, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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Overduin M, Tran A, Eekels DM, Overduin F, Kervin TA. Transmembrane Membrane Readers form a Novel Class of Proteins That Include Peripheral Phosphoinositide Recognition Domains and Viral Spikes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1161. [PMID: 36422153 PMCID: PMC9692390 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12111161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Membrane proteins are broadly classified as transmembrane (TM) or peripheral, with functions that pertain to only a single bilayer at a given time. Here, we explicate a class of proteins that contain both transmembrane and peripheral domains, which we dub transmembrane membrane readers (TMMRs). Their transmembrane and peripheral elements anchor them to one bilayer and reversibly attach them to another section of bilayer, respectively, positioning them to tether and fuse membranes while recognizing signals such as phosphoinositides (PIs) and modifying lipid chemistries in proximity to their transmembrane domains. Here, we analyze full-length models from AlphaFold2 and Rosetta, as well as structures from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, using the Membrane Optimal Docking Area (MODA) program to map their membrane-binding surfaces. Eukaryotic TMMRs include phospholipid-binding C1, C2, CRAL-TRIO, FYVE, GRAM, GTPase, MATH, PDZ, PH, PX, SMP, StART and WD domains within proteins including protrudin, sorting nexins and synaptotagmins. The spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 as well as other viruses are also TMMRs, seeing as they are anchored into the viral membrane while mediating fusion with host cell membranes. As such, TMMRs have key roles in cell biology and membrane trafficking, and include drug targets for diseases such as COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Overduin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Anh Tran
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | | | - Finn Overduin
- Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Troy A. Kervin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
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Warner H, Mahajan S, van den Bogaart G. Rerouting trafficking circuits through posttranslational SNARE modifications. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:276344. [PMID: 35972760 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are membrane-associated trafficking proteins that confer identity to lipid membranes and facilitate membrane fusion. These functions are achieved through the complexing of Q-SNAREs with a specific cognate target R-SNARE, leading to the fusion of their associated membranes. These SNARE complexes then dissociate so that the Q-SNAREs and R-SNAREs can repeat this cycle. Whilst the basic function of SNAREs has been long appreciated, it is becoming increasingly clear that the cell can control the localisation and function of SNARE proteins through posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation and ubiquitylation. Whilst numerous proteomic methods have shown that SNARE proteins are subject to these modifications, little is known about how these modifications regulate SNARE function. However, it is clear that these PTMs provide cells with an incredible functional plasticity; SNARE PTMs enable cells to respond to an ever-changing extracellular environment through the rerouting of membrane traffic. In this Review, we summarise key findings regarding SNARE regulation by PTMs and discuss how these modifications reprogramme membrane trafficking pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Warner
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Shweta Mahajan
- Division of Immunobiology, Center for Inflammation and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Geert van den Bogaart
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Atlas D. Revisiting the molecular basis of synaptic transmission. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 216:102312. [PMID: 35760141 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Measurements of the time elapsed during synaptic transmission has shown that synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion lags behind Ca2+-influx by approximately 60 microseconds (µsec). The conventional model cannot explain this extreme rapidity of the release event. Synaptic transmission occurs at the active zone (AZ), which comprises of two pools of SV, non-releasable "tethered" vesicles, and a readily-releasable pool of channel-associated Ca2+-primed vesicles, "RRP". A recent TIRF study at cerebellar-mossy fiber-terminal, showed that subsequent to an action potential, newly "tethered" vesicles, became fusion-competent in a Ca2+-dependent manner, 300-400 milliseconds after tethering, but were not fused. This time resolution may correspond to priming of tethered vesicles through Ca2+-binding to Syt1/Munc13-1/complexin. It confirms that Ca2+-priming and Ca2+-influx-independent fusion, are two distinct events. Notably, we have established that Ca2+ channel signals evoked-release in an ion flux-independent manner, demonstrated by Ca2+-impermeable channel, or a Ca2+ channel in which Ca2+ is replaced by impermeable La3+. Thus, conformational changes in a channel coupled to RRP appear to directly activate the release machinery and account for a µsec Ca2+-influx-independent vesicle fusion. Rapid vesicle fusion driven by non-ionotropic channel signaling strengthens a conformational-coupling mechanism of synaptic transmission, and contributes to better understanding of neuronal communication vital for brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphne Atlas
- Dept. of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904 Israel.
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