title: The syntaxins.
abstract: The SNARE hypothesis predicts that a family of SNAP receptors are localized to and function in diverse intracellular membrane compartments where membrane fusion processes take place. Syntaxins, the prototype family of SNARE proteins, have a carboxy-terminal tail-anchor and multiple coiled-coil domains. There are 15 members of the syntaxin family in the human genome and 7 syntaxin-like genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In conjunction with other SNAREs and with the cytoplasmic NSF and SNAP proteins, syntaxins mediate vesicle fusion in diverse vesicular transport processes along the exocytic and the endocytic pathway. They are crucial components that both drive and provide specificity to the myriad vesicular fusion processes that characterize the eukaryotic cell.
authors.affiliation: NCA lab Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Republic of Singapore. mcbtbl@imcb.nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D050765:Qa-SNARE Proteins; D050600:SNARE Proteins; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D050765:Qa-SNARE Proteins; D050600:SNARE Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins