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SNARE
SNARE proteins – "Soluble NSF attachment protein, SNAP REceptors" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts and more than 60 members in mammalian and plant cells. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate the vesicle fusion, fusion of vesicles with the target Cell membrane, membrane; this notably mediates exocytosis, but can also mediate the fusion of vesicles with membrane-bound compartments (such as a lysosome). The best studied SNAREs are those that mediate the release of synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters in neurons. These neuronal SNAREs are the targets of the neurotoxins responsible for botulism and tetanus produced by certain bacteria. Types SNAREs can be divided into two categories: ''vesicle'' or ''v-SNAREs'', which are incorporated into the membranes of transport vesicles during budding, and ''target'' or ''t-SNAREs'', which are associated with nerve terminal membranes. Evidence suggests that t-SNAREs form s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soluble NSF Attachment Protein
Soluble ''N''-ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor Attachment Proteins (SNAP, or Sec17p in yeast) are a family of cytosolic adaptor proteins involved in vesicular fusion at membranes during intracellular transport and exocytosis. SNAPs interact with proteins of the SNARE complex and NSF to play a key role in recycling the components of the fusion complex. SNAPs are involved in the priming of the vesicle fusion complex during assembly, as well as in the disassembly following a vesicle fusion event. Following membrane fusion, the tethering SNARE proteins complex disassembles in response to steric changes originating from the ATPase N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein, NSF. The energy provided by NSF is transferred throughout the SNARE complex and SNAP, allowing the proteins to untangle, and recycled for future fusion events. Mammals have three SNAP genes: NAPA (gene), α-SNAP, NAPB, β-SNAP, and NAPG, γ-SNAP. α- and γ-SNAP are expressed throughout the body, while β-SNAP is specif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zero Ionic Layer
Zero ionic layer is the main site of interaction in the core SNARE complex. Dipole-dipole interactions take place between 3 glutamine (Q) residues and 1 arginine (R) residue exposed in this layer. Despite that, the majority of the SNARE complex is hydrophobic because of the leucine zipper. Extensively studied layers within the SNARE alpha-helical bundle are designated from "-7" to "+8". Zero ionic layer is at the center of the bundle, and thus designated as "0" layer. Structure SNARE complex is a bundle formed by 4 alpha-helical proteins, including vesicle-associated synaptobrevin and cell-membrane-associated syntaxin and SNAP. When the bundle is viewed on the side, for every alpha-helical turn, the alpha-carbons from each helix form a plane, which is thus designated as a "layer". Along the helical bundle from N-terminus to C-terminus, layers are designated from "-7" to "+8" respectively. "0" layer (i.e. zero ionic layer) is at the center of the helical bundle. The zero ionic l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vesicle Fusion
Vesicle fusion is the merging of a vesicle with other vesicles or a part of a cell membrane. In the latter case, it is the end stage of secretion from secretory vesicles, where their contents are expelled from the cell through exocytosis. Vesicles can also fuse with other target cell compartments, such as a lysosome. Exocytosis occurs when secretory vesicles transiently dock and fuse at the base of cup-shaped structures at the cell plasma membrane called porosomes, the universal secretory machinery in cells. Vesicle fusion may depend on SNARE proteins in the presence of increased intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration. Triggers Stimuli that trigger vesicle fusion act by increasing intracellular Ca2+. * Synaptic vesicles commit vesicle fusion by a nerve impulse reaching the synapse, activating voltage-dependent calcium channels that cause influx of Ca2+ into the cell. * In the endocrine system, many hormones are released by their releasing hormones binding to G protein cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SNAP-25
Synaptosomal-Associated Protein, 25kDa (SNAP-25) is a Target Soluble NSF (''N''-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) Attachment Protein Receptor ( t-SNARE) protein encoded by the ''SNAP25'' gene found on chromosome 20p12.2 in humans. SNAP-25 is a component of the ''trans''-SNARE complex, which accounts for membrane fusion specificity and directly executes fusion by forming a tight complex that brings the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes together. Structure and function SNAP-25, a Q-SNARE protein, is anchored to the cytosolic face of membranes via palmitoyl side chains covalently bound to cysteine amino acid residues in the central linker domain of the molecule. This means that SNAP-25 does not contain a trans-membrane domain. SNAP-25 has been identified to contribute two α-helices to the SNARE complex, a four-α-helix domain complex. The SNARE complex participates in vesicle fusion, which involves the docking, priming and merging of a vesicle with the cell membran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synaptic Vesicle
In a neuron, synaptic vesicles (or neurotransmitter vesicles) store various neurotransmitters that are exocytosis, released at the chemical synapse, synapse. The release is regulated by a voltage-dependent calcium channel. Vesicle (biology), Vesicles are essential for propagating nerve impulses between neurons and are constantly recreated by the cell (biology), cell. The area in the axon that holds groups of vesicles is an axon terminal or "terminal bouton". Up to 130 vesicles can be released per bouton over a ten-minute period of stimulation at 0.2 Hz. In the visual cortex of the human brain, synaptic vesicles have an average diameter of 39.5 nanometers (nm) with a standard deviation of 5.1 nm. Structure Synaptic vesicles are relatively simple because only a limited number of proteins fit into a sphere of 40 nm diameter. Purified vesicles have a protein:phospholipid ratio of 1:3 with a lipid composition of 40% phosphatidylcholine, 32% phosphatidylethanola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exocytosis
Exocytosis is a term for the active transport process that transports large molecules from cell to the extracellular area. Hormones, proteins and neurotransmitters are examples of large molecules that can be transported out of the cell. Exocytosis is a crucial transport mechanism that enables polar molecules to flow through the cell membranes’ hydrophobic lipid bilayer. The transport process is essential to hormone secretion, immune response and neurotransmission. Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes undergo exocytosis. Prokaryotes secrete molecules and cellular waste through translocons that are localized to the cell membrane. In addition, they secrete molecules to other cells through specialized organs. Eukaryotes rely on multiple cellular processes to perform the exocytosis process. Eukaryotes have several organelles and a nucleus in the cytoplasm that are connected through multiple transport routes, that is formally known as the secretory pathway. This is a complex pathway with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syntaxin 1
Syntaxins are a family of membrane integrated Q-SNARE proteins participating in exocytosis. Domains Syntaxins possess a single C-terminal transmembrane domain, a SNARE domain (known as H3), and an N-terminal regulatory domain (Habc). Syntaxin 17 may have two transmembrane domains. * The SNARE (H3) domain binds to both synaptobrevin and SNAP-25 forming the core SNARE complex. Formation of this stable SNARE core complex is believed to generate the free energy required to initiate fusion between the vesicle membrane and plasma membrane. * The N-terminal Habc domain is formed by 3 α-helices and when collapsed onto its own H3 helix forms an inactive "closed" syntaxin conformation. This closed conformation of syntaxin is believed to be stabilized by binding of Munc-18 (nSec1), although more recent data suggests that nSec1 may bind to other conformations of syntaxin, as well. The "open" syntaxin conformation is the conformation that is competent to form into SNARE core complexes. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drosophila
''Drosophila'' (), from Ancient Greek δρόσος (''drósos''), meaning "dew", and φίλος (''phílos''), meaning "loving", is a genus of fly, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit. They should not be confused with the Tephritidae, a related family, which are also called fruit flies (sometimes referred to as "true fruit flies"); tephritids feed primarily on unripe or ripe fruit, with many species being regarded as destructive agricultural pests, especially the Mediterranean fruit fly. One species of ''Drosophila'' in particular, ''Drosophila melanogaster'', has been heavily used in research in genetics and is a common model organism in developmental biology. The terms "fruit fly" and "''Drosophila''" are often used synonymously with ''D. melanogaster'' in modern biological literatur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palmitoylation
In molecular biology, palmitoylation is the covalent attachment of fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, to cysteine (''S''-palmitoylation) and less frequently to serine and threonine (''O''-palmitoylation) residues of proteins, which are typically membrane proteins. The precise function of palmitoylation depends on the particular protein being considered. Palmitoylation enhances the hydrophobicity of proteins and contributes to their membrane association. Palmitoylation also appears to play a significant role in subcellular trafficking of proteins between membrane compartments, as well as in modulating protein–protein interactions. In contrast to prenylation and myristoylation, palmitoylation is usually reversible (because the bond between palmitic acid and protein is often a thioester bond). The reverse reaction in mammalian cells is catalyzed by acyl-protein thioesterases (APTs) in the cytosol and palmitoyl protein thioesterases in lysosomes. Because palmitoylation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nervous tissue, nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insult (medical), insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature nervous tissue.Olney 2002 The term can also be used to classify endogenous compounds, which, when abnormally contacted, can prove neurologically toxic. Though neurotoxins are often neurologically destructive, their ability to specifically target neural components is important in the study of nervous systems. Common examples of neurotoxins include lead, ethanol (drinking alcohol), glutamate,Choi 1987 nitric oxide, botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox), tetanus toxin,Simpson 1986 and tetrodotoxin. Some substances such as nitric oxide and glutamate are in fact essential for proper function of the body and only exert neurotoxic effects at excessive concentrations. Neurotoxins inhibit neuron control over ion concentrations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endoplasmic Reticulum
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a part of a transportation system of the eukaryote, eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. The word endoplasmic means "within the cytoplasm", and reticulum is Latin for "little net". It is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The endoplasmic reticulum is found in most eukaryotic cells and forms an interconnected network of flattened, membrane-enclosed sacs known as cisternae (in the RER), and tubular structures in the SER. The membranes of the ER are continuous with the outer nuclear membrane. The endoplasmic reticulum is not found in red blood cells, or spermatozoa. There are two types of ER that share many of the same proteins and engage in certain common activities such as the synthesis of certain lipids and cholesterol. Different types of Cell (biology), cells contain different ratios of the two types of ER dependin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mitochondria
A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy. They were discovered by Albert von Kölliker in 1857 in the voluntary muscles of insects. The term ''mitochondrion'', meaning a thread-like granule, was coined by Carl Benda in 1898. The mitochondrion is popularly nicknamed the "powerhouse of the cell", a phrase popularized by Philip Siekevitz in a 1957 ''Scientific American'' article of the same name. Some cells in some multicellular organisms lack mitochondria (for example, mature mammalian red blood cells). The multicellular animal '' Henneguya salminicola'' is known to have retained mitochondrion-related organelles despite a complete loss of their mitochondrial genome. A large number of unicellular organisms, such as microspo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
