title: Decoding the interactions of SM proteins with SNAREs.
abstract: The success and efficiency of fusion of transport vesicles to target membranes depend upon sets of proteins that are functionally and evolutionarily conserved. The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion (NSF)-attachment protein receptor (SNARE) family and the Sec1/Munc18 family, also termed SM proteins, are central players in this process. SM proteins interact with syntaxins of SNARE family, which has been regarded intrinsic for function. By exploring the bi-molecular interactions of SM proteins with syntaxins and their functional implications in vivo in several eukaryotes, which has been enormously facilitated by the availability of the three-dimensional structures of members of both protein families, the long-standing assumption that SM proteins fulfill their regulatory role by binding to syntaxins has to be reconsidered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. rpeng@gwdg.de
authors.forename: Ren-Wang
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D051938:Munc18 Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D022161:Transport Vesicles / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051938:Munc18 Proteins; C072520:SLY1 protein, S cerevisiae; D050600:SNARE Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins