title: Site specificity in the interactions of synapsin 1 with tubulin.
abstract: Synapsin 1 is one of a family of phosphoproteins located on small synaptic vesicles (SSV) in the presynaptic terminal, and probably plays a critical role in the process of neuronal exocytosis by providing regulated linkages between SSV and the cytoskeleton. Two forms of synapsin 1 are produced from a single gene by differential mRNA splicing: 1a, 706 amino acid residues, and 1b, 670 residues. Synapsin 1 has two structural domains, a globular N-terminal head domain and an elongated tail domain. Electron microscopy of nerve terminals in situ and reconstitution studies in vitro indicates that synapsin 1 can interact with microtubules, microfilaments and brain spectrin. In vitro, synapsin 1 can bundle microtubules. This could either occur by synapsin 1 being at least bivalent for microtubules, or by univalent synapsin 1 molecules aggregating to form complexes that are more than univalent. To resolve this question, we have taken the approach of preparing defined fragments of synapsin 1 from each structural domain and analysing them for tubulin-binding activity. Our results show that there are tubulin-binding sites in both head and tail domains. We conclude that synapsin 1 monomers should be able to cross-link microtubules.
authors.affiliation: Biological Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Baines
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D010450:Endopeptidases; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D016704:Synapsins; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D016704:Synapsins; D014404:Tubulin; D010450:Endopeptidases