title: Limited proteolysis of synapsin I. Identification of the region of the molecule responsible for its association with microtubules.
abstract: Synapsin I is a highly asymmetric neuronal structural phosphoprotein implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release probably by the multiple interactions it can contract with membranous and cytoskeletal elements of the neuronal cell. In order to locate the region(s) of synapsin I responsible for its association with microtubules, we have first studied synapsin I limited digestion by trypsin. The resulting polypeptides were localized in the synapsin I molecule by using three different criteria: their kinetics of appearance, their collagenase sensitivity, and the presence of the synapsin phosphorylation site 1 (cyclic AMP dependent). Synapsin I digestion kinetics are not affected by phosphorylation at this site. Analysis of the ability of various synapsin I tryptic fragments in mixture to cosediment with microtubules shows that a 44-kDa fragment corresponding to the NH2-terminal hydrophobic head of the molecule contains a binding site for polymerized tubulin. This fragment competes with native synapsin I for binding on microtubules. None of the polypeptides belonging to the tail region of synapsin I (COOH-terminal half of the molecule) were found to cosediment with microtubules.
authors.affiliation: LBTM-CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aubert-Foucher
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Font
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002498:Centrifugation; D007700:Kinetics; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D016704:Synapsins; D014357:Trypsin
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016704:Synapsins; D014357:Trypsin